Thin is definitely in. At just over a half-inch thick, the Motorola RAZR V3 is the perfect combination of sleek design and powerful features. With long-range Bluetooth, support for video playback, a VGA (640 x 480) camera and a gorgeous color screen, the RAZR V3 is everything you're looking for in a stylish mobile companion. Get the most out of your Cingular service with this impressive quad-band phone.

The RAZR V3's design takes the standard clamshell form factor to the next level with an impressive, anodized aluminum construction. A large 176 x 220 color display with 262,000 colors dominates the inside of the top cover. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary 96 x 80 full-color display that can display pictures, time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The VGA camera lens is housed above this display. Up/down buttons are placed on the left side for volume control while a voice button on the right side of the unit allows you to enter voice memos and create voice dialing profiles. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's backlit control pad, which is precision cut from a single sheet of nickel-plated copper alloy. A charging port and USB data cable port is placed on the bottom of the phone.

Calling Features The RAZR V3's internal phone book can hold up to 1000 contacts while the phone's picture ID system allows you to assign pictures to your most common callers. It also supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular Wireless' MEdia service. There's even an included application, MotoMixer, that lets you mix your own ringtones. For times when you want to be discreet, there's a vibrating alert. A built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear while voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names.

Because the RAZR V3 is Bluetooth enabled, wireless headsets can be configured with the phone for total handsfree operation.

Messaging, Internet and Tools The RAZR V3 is a messaging and wireless Internet powerhouse. Support is built in for sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, sound and video via messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in still and video camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. Instant messaging is also supported via AOL Instant Messenger and the phone ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols (Cingular messaging charges apply).

Thin is in: The RAZR's keypad is precision cut from a single sheet of nickel-plated copper alloy.

There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. iTap text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

Getting on the Internet is easy with the RAZR V3 as it supports Cingular's GSM-based Wireless Internet Express service. When used with a Cingular data plan and the phone's Bluetooth or USB data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the RAZR V3 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator with currency converter, a calendar and an alarm clock. Use the phone's Bluetooth capability to set up a wireless link with a Bluetooth accessory or connect to a computer or hand-held device to exchange and synchronize data. The phone also supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard, can be used with Motorola's Mobile Phone Tools PC application to manage and synchronize contacts, calendar and other data with your PC.

Imaging and Entertainment With 5 MB of internal memory storage, the RAZR V3 shines in the entertainment department. The phone's VGA camera features a 4x zoom, image quality options, and an auto-timer so you can be in your pictures, too. Capture stills and then send them to your friends via MMS messaging or email, or to your PC via USB or Bluetooth. The phone is capable of MPEG4 video playback when you receive a video message, or if you upload video to the phone via USB or Bluetooth. The RAZR V3 also supports custom graphics for wallpapers so you can dress up the phone to suit your fancy.

Support for gaming is built into the phone and games are available for download via the Cingular MEdia service.

Vital Statistics The Motorola RAZR V3 weighs 3.35 ounces and measures 3.86 x 2.09 x .54 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6.67 hours of digital talk time, and up to 250 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Bad phone for mommy
My mommy got this phone. my dad yells at her why she spent so much money on it cuz it isnt very good. i think it looks weird . it also isnt very load like one timemy mom had it in her purse thing and it rang and she missed the callbecuase she couldnt here the ringing!!!!!!!It is a very bad item thhing my mom is gonna sell it on ebay!!!!!

Great look: Battery power HORRIBLE
yes I agree with most of you: the RAZR is definitely sleek looking and such.I've barely had it for a month and already I'm disappointed.Seems I am always charging this phone even though I do not 'clock in the time'.The large screen is great; the fact you can put it in your backpocket and almost forget it's there is nice, too.But so far I am not impressed.. yes Nokia does make better phones....

Paying for the looks only
I got this phone about a week ago and sure, it's thin, it's cool looking but in the end, it's just a phone. I was deciding between the V3 and a nokia 6230. I really think i should've gone with the nokia.

- The V3's speakerphone isn't that loud. I turn it on and end up turning it back off because i can hear better without it.

- The phone has a slim profile but it's actually pretty large. it's just thin. When it's open, it looks huge against your face.

- The buttons are flat and takes used to using. This is especially true if you like to text message a lot, like me. The upside to this is that Motorola's iTap software is really nice to use compared to my old samsung.

- Yes, it has a large screen. but when you use it, oils from your face get all over it. the oils from your fingers get on the keys which transfer to the screen.

- no games unless you want to connect to the internet. BUMMER!!

- crappy ring tones. again, you'll have to pay for better ones.

The nice thing about cingular is that yes, you have good reception, mobile to mobile, and rollover. The bad thing is they totally rip you off in text messages compared to t-mobile.

Excellent Phone
I'm up in the North East and Cingular is great up here.I have had them for several years now and have tried other cell phone providers, but they are the best I think.This phone is great.I have had it for six months now and it works great.Reception is great, I get a signal in areas where other phones I have had I couldn't.I have dropped it several times and still not a scratch due to the metal housing.Great screen.Bluetooth works well.Phone is very loud.The battery life is great.I have read where some people say it is horrible.I'm on the phone all the time and I have never used up the battery to go under two bars.Great phone.The one drawback I found was Cingular will not insure the phone.

Love it
I have had the Motorols Razor V3 for about 3 months. I have had no problems with it. I have taken it everywhere Hawaii, Flordia, France, London, and the UK(and i only had like 1-2 groped calls over there) I would really recomend this phone to anyone. and I love Cingular Wireless i had att wireless then they combined and it is even better. The Bluetooth is easy to set up to.
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With Bluetooth, a VGA camera and a large color display, as well as support for high speed data and video capture, the V551 is a powerful mobile companion. It's the perfect complement to Cingular Wireless service.

Design

Click the image to get a closer look at the V551's features.

The phone features a sleek clamshell design with a large 176 x 220 color display with 65,000 colors. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary 96 x 32 blue monochrome display that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The VGA camera lens and self-portrait mirror is housed above this display. A stub antenna is placed on the top right side of the unit, next to the phone's headset jack. Volume buttons are placed on the left side, while a one-touch camera button is on the right. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. A combined charging and USB data cable port is placed on the bottom of the phone.

Calling Features The V551's internal phone book can hold up to 1000 contacts while the phone's picture ID system allows you to assign pictures to your most common callers. It also supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular Wireless' MEdia service. There's even an included application, MotoMixer, that lets you mix your own ringtones. For times when you want to be discreet, there's a vibrating alert. A built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear while voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names.

Because the V551 is Bluetooth enabled, wireless headsets can be configured with the phone for total handsfree operation. The phone supports Cingular's "Fast Forward" call forwarding device, which enables you to effortlessly forward your wireless calls to your land-line phone.

Messaging, Internet and Tools The V551 is a messaging and wireless Internet powerhouse. Support is built in for sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, sound and video via messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in still and video camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. Instant messaging is also supported via AOL Instant Messenger and the phone ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols (Cingular messaging charges apply). There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. iTap text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

Getting on the Internet is easy with the V551. It supports the GPRS protocol, as well as the new, high speed EDGE data protocol. When used with a Cingular data plan and the phone's Bluetooth or USB data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the V551 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar and an alarm clock. Use the V551's Bluetooth capability to set up a wireless link with a Bluetooth accessory or connect to a computer or hand-held device to exchange and synchronize data. The phone also supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard, which means it can be used with Motorola's Mobile Phone Tools PC application to manage and synchronize contacts, calendar and other data with your PC.

Imaging and Entertainment The V551 shines in the entertainment department. The phone's VGA camera can capture stills and clips with up to 15 seconds of video, both of which can be sent to your friends via MMS messaging or email, or to your PC via USB or Bluetooth. The phone is capable of MPEG4 video playback when you receive a video message. Meanwhile, an included image-editing application lets you modify the pictures you take before you send picture messages. The V551 also supports custom graphics for wallpapers so you can dress up the phone to suit your fancy.

Support for gaming is built into the phone and games are available for download via the Cingular MEdia service.

Vital Statistics The Motorola V551 weighs 4.23 ounces and measures 3.5 x 1.93 x .97 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.75 hours of digital talk time, and up to 225 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Lots of features; so-so quality
I've had this phone since Dec. 2004. The first one stopped holding a charge after about 6 weeks. I'd fully charge the phone and a little more than a day later, after no more than 10 minutes of talk time, the thing would be completely dead. I contacted Cingular and they shipped me a replacement very quickly.

The replacement phone holds a charge much better (6 days), but the battery-life indicator doesn't follow an even path. It shows a full charge for several days, then goes to 2 bars of charge, and then dead, all but skipping 1 bar.

The sound quality is about average. I like and use the speakerphone. Turns out I don't use some of the other features (Bluetooth, camera) as much as I expected.

Annoyingly often, the phone doesn't ring when I have an incoming call, even when I'm in an area with a strong signal. Instead, I get the "missed call" beep about 15-45 after the call occurred.

This is my third cell phone, and overall I like this phone better than my second phone but not as well as the first.

Beware of Cingular Pricing and Sales
If I had not been careful, I could have paid Cingular anywhere from $25-100 for this phone within a two day period. Cingular has a serious lack of conformity between it's business units. The online price for this phone was different than the price offered by the business sales group, and different from the one offered at an official Cingular store... and I would have never known about the $50 rebate that was posted two days after I had purchased a qualifying phone if I had not happened to peruse the Cingular website. The transaction to convert 5 individual lines into a single family plan took about 4 hours to complete over the phone after being bounced from department to department.

The phone itself is fine and the camera is more usable than I had expected it to me.

Buy direct.
Buy this phone from somewhere else -- Amazon will delay dispatching the phone and then fail to send the information to Cingular to activate the phone. The Activation instructions included with the phone are be wrong, Amazon's customer service reps will tell you wrong information to activate the phone. If you realize this you will not be able to use Cingular's automated activation service because of the first problem and it will be well over a week before you get a working phone.

bad
wen i got dis fone i wuz impressed i tought i wusnt gonna like it but its very stylish no dought about dat overall the fone does have good reception n it has wonderful the bestes speaker..but den the fone iz xtremely fat its very heavey n wen it vibrates its very annoyin u hear the vibration more den the ring video records r like 10 seconds the keppads r 2 wide so i returned it for the samsung p207 which iz an awsome fone

I love it
I have had it just a week now and I have yet recharged the battery. Maybe they fixed it? Yes I do talk on the phone. I was also able to use it to check my gmail, hotmail and my works email. Could get on AIM and ICQ with no problem. Camera takes ok pictures for a cell phone. Best I have seen so far. The mp3s sound great over the speaker and the speaker phone is pretty clear. Clarity is hardly an issue. Voice recording is easy...good for those sudden thoughts.

Star Wars fans rejoice! You can now get your z500a phone that comes preloaded with exclusive Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith content. Included are a C-3PO voice tone, TIE Fighter sound effect tone, Classic Trilogy Heroes exclusive graphic, Darth Maul graphic, demo version of downloadable game: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and a video clip of the AT-AT Approach scene--plus, you get access to download even more.

Incredible style meets powerful substance in this clamshell from Sony-Ericsson. With dual screens, a VGA camera with video capabilities and support for high-speed EDGE data networks, the z500a is a serious next-generation phone. It's the perfect handset for folks who want to get all the latest wireless goodies in one chic package.

Design Sony-Ericsson's reputation for cutting edge design has been brought into the clamshell arena with the z500a. There's a 128 x 160 display housed under the cover while the outside sports a supplementary 96 x 32 color display that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The VGA (640 x 480) camera is housed on the front cover as well. The z500a uses an internal antenna-- nothing to snag or break off-- and a five-way button just above the dial pad is used to control most of the phone's menus and features. Up/down buttons on the left side of the phone can be used for quick volume control and menu navigation. USB data and charging ports, as well as a headset port, are located on the phone's bottom edge. And because the z500a's front and rear faceplates are changeable with Sony-Ericsson Style-Up covers, you can dress it up to suit your style.

Exclusive Darth Maul graphic.

Exclusive Classic Trilogy graphic.

Calling Features The z500a's phone book can hold up to 510 contacts with multiple entries per contact. A call list remembers your most recent missed, received and dialed calls. The z500a's voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names. The phone also features a speakerphone for easy, hands-free talking. In addition to a vibrating alert, the phone supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls. There's even a bundled application that lets you mix your own ringtones with up to 16 tracks. Meanwhile, more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia wireless web service. Picture caller ID lets you assign a photo to specific callers. Similarly, a ringer ID lets you assign ringtones to callers. Lastly, the phone supports Cingular's "Fast Forward" call forwarding device, which enables you to effortlessly forward your wireless calls to your land line phone.

Messaging, Internet and Tools The z500a has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging. Support is built in for sending and receiving text, video, graphics and sound via messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. AOL Instant Messenger is also included and the phone ships with a built-in email client (Cingular messaging charges apply). The email client is preconfigured for accounts from some of the most popular ISPs, including Bellsouth.net, SBC Yahoo, and Earthlink.

Getting on the Internet is easy with the z500a. It supports the GPRS protocol, as well as the new, high speed EDGE data protocol. When used with a Cingular data plan and the phone's USB data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs. There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the z500a including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar, and an alarm clock with a timer and stopwatch. Sony Ericsson Sync Station software lets you synchronize your Microsoft Outlook calendar, contacts, notes and tasks with your z500a.

Imaging and Entertainment The z500a was designed for serious fun. The built-in VGA camera captures stills and video to the phone's 6MB of internal memory. Video capture length is only limited by the amount of available storage memory and the phone supports playback of both MP3 audio and MPEG4 video files. Picture effects and custom screensavers, backgrounds, and themes can be set up to fit your personality.

Java support is built into the z500a, making it a powerful gaming companion for both online and offline games. Games are downloadable via the MEdia service or you can use the handset's USB data connection to load more games and files onto the phone.

Vital Statistics The Sony-Ericsson z500a weighs 3.88 ounces and measures 3.66 x 1.93 x 0.94 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 10 hours of digital talk time, and up to 10 days of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS 850/1800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Not satisfied - May be my expection was high
Bad things about the phone:

1) Key pad - As the keys are not elevated from the flat surface, it is very difficult to press the keys. Mainly when I use the calling cards to call, where I need to dial the pin no and telephone numbers, many times the keys are not getting pressed properly and I need to cancel and make the call again. Many times It is very disguisting.

2) As per the sony erricson web site, it has stand by backup of 300 hours. But after charging for the whole night (it shows full), if I use the phone for around 2 hours talk time, the battery will drain out in 3 days. This is one of the main feature made me to buy this instrument. (May be the battery I have is not good)

I have used this phone only for calling and text messaging.

Good things about this phone.

1) Is a good looking phone
2) Has good sound quality

If you seek poor quality, this is for you
I purchased this phone to replace my outdated TDMA/AT&T Wireless Nokia phone, after using the Z500A for about a week I returned it. Here is what was wrong with this phone:

1. It felt extra-cheap. I felt like if I dropped it, it could break easily. Plus, I like keeping my cell phone in my pocket rather than on a belt clip -- and excessive lint found its way INSIDE THE SCREEN within THREE (3) DAYS... (It took about 2 years for that to happen on my other phone)

2. The battery life is very poor; expect very frequent recharges required.

3. The reception was awful. I had to leave my house to get a signal OUTSIDE of my home (i haven't had to do that with any other phone)

4. It's bulky. Compared to my new phone (which I highly recommend a Samsung x427M) this thing feels like a roll of quarters in your pocket. It's big, bulky and heavy.

The only reason I'm giving this thing 1 Star is for its few multimedia features. You can assign certain ringtones to certain people or record your own ringtone via voice memo. Plus it has a speakerphone -- which I found to actually be necessary when placing calls because the volume at just a standard level is very poor.

Great Phone
This is the best phone I've ever had.I've had a few Nokias in the past that didn't do anything special.The camera is convenient (espescially in places where you aren't supposed to bring cameras).The Sony Ericsson organizer is sort of like a PalmPilot and very easy to use.The special feature like AIM, e-mail, and internet access are also very convenient.My favorite features are the available MobiTV and the MapQuest subscription.The phone just has so many convenitent feature, most of them I thought I would never use, but now I don't know how I lived without them!

fancy phone, games, EDGE, with one goal, rip you off
Bad things about the phone:
1) Bad camera quality
2) calling card feature under T610 (T616) was removed. Compared to the programmable 1-touch calling card call, you have to dial phone card access number, pin code, international destination (011+xxxxxxxxxxxx). It's stupid for SONY Ericsson to do that.Maybe under the instruction of Cingular, so that you can use their pricy international long-distance.
3) Speaker has to be activated during conversation. Two button-presses are needed. Inconvenient.
4) Cingular would not unlock the phone for you, period!
5) Downloading a MP3 ringtone costs $2.5, plus 3 cents per Bytes Internet for data transfer. They ripped me off $7.6 for using the freaking fast EDGE Internet for downloading a $2.5 ringtone, plus tax.
6) As the first flip phone from SE, it looks stylish, but at closer look, it doesn't look better or solid than other flip phones in the market. Everything is plastic and no metal feel.

Good things about the phone:
1) Compared to other phones in the market, this one has a long battery life.
2) Clear voice quality.
3) Relatively faster compared to some advanced models, i.e. Nokia 6600.

Conclusion:

I go for Nokia 6600 with T-Mobile. T-Mobile unlocks a phone for you "free" (nothing is actually free in this country) every 90 days. 6600 is not a flip phone, a little bit slow, but very solid in everything. Cingular will attract you with the largest library of fancy phones with 2 years contract on Amazon and later on rip you off with different ways, ringtones, games, EDGE data transfer, etc. That's the way they do business and survive, unfortunately. Since you have to go to the "black market" to unlock the phone, untill you sell or unlock the phone, you are stucked with Cingular.

Okay phone, if you don't care for accessories
We spent a lot of time trying to decide between this phone and the Motorola V551. We went with this one because of the extra Cingular rebates.Overall, this is an okay phone.It has a lot of extra media features with it.But we've had a hard time trying to get headsets and other accessories for it. Sony Ericsson's collection is very small compared to Motorola's library OEM of headsets, holsters, and other stuff.

We also found it a little uncomforatable to use at times.The buttons are very flush with the phone.So, they can be difficult to punch at times.Response to typing is delayed considerably. That's bad if you're fast phone typist (I'm not, but my brother is).

In the end I give it two stars.Good for general use, and the free Star Wars tickets.If I'd have to do it over again, I get the Motorola v551.
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The PalmOne Treo 650 boasts all the legendary features of the venerable Treo 600, plus a whole lot more. Now with Bluetooth, a higher resolution screen, a removable battery, and an improved keyboard, the Treo 650 is once again on the cutting edge of Smartphone technology. It offers all the functionality of a high-end Palm OS-powered PDA, a cell phone and a VGA camera. Simply put, it's the ultimate mobile office companion.

Design

Click the image to get a closer look at the Treo 650's features.

Under the hood, the Treo 650 features Palm OS 5.4, 32MB of RAM (23MB available for end user storage), and an Intel PXA270 312 MHz processor. The design retains the same popular form factor as the Treo 600 with a few subtle, yet significant, changes. The unit's screen has been dramatically enhanced to support 320 x 320 resolution and the full QWERTY keypad has been redesigned for greater ease of use. The top of the unit features an expansion card slot for SD and MMC-based memory and expansion cards. There's also an infrared port here for line of sight data transfers, as well as a handy switch for turning off the phone's ringer. A five-way navigator controls most of the phone's menus and operating system functions, while quick application buttons on either side of the navigator get you to your favorite applications in a snap. The left side of the unit features a volume up/down toggle plus a handy user-customizable button that can be assigned to any phone or PDA function. The rear of the Treo 650 houses a loudspeaker, as well as the VGA (640x480) camera unit. A touchscreen stylus can be tucked away on the right side of the phone. Meanwhile, a combined charging, data, and accessory attachment port is housed on the bottom of the unit, as is a standard 2.5 mm stereo headset jack.

Calling and PDA Features All the of the Treo 650's phone and PDA functions are designed to provide an integrated, seamless experience. For instance, you can type in the name or initials of a contact on the keypad to dial them. Or, use the touchscreen and stylus to copy information from an email and quickly paste it into another email or text message. All of the latest phone features folks expect are built-in, too, like a handsfree speakerphone, polyphonic ringtones, a vibrate mode and picture caller ID. The capacity of the unit's address book is only limited by the amount of internal and expansion memory available. Use the Treo 650's Bluetooth capability to wirelessly sync your contacts with your PC or Mac (yes, Mac!). Headsets, car kits and other wireless peripherals can also be paired with the unit via Bluetooth.

The Treo 650 is also a fully functional Palm OS device. That means that a huge library of applications, from spreadsheets to word processors to games, can be added to the Treo 650. It's easy to perform multiple tasks like checking your calendar while talking on the phone or dialing calls directly from your contacts list. Familiar Palm OS software ships with the handset including calendar, calculator, clock, contacts, memo, and task management applications. Real Player for video and MP3 playback, VersaMail email client, and DataViz Documents to Go for mobile access to spreadsheets and text documents, are also included.

The unit's memory expansion slot allows you to transfer music, photos, and video from your desktop. Or, use it to load additional games and applications.

Messaging and Internet The device fully supports SMS and MMS messaging for rapid exchange of pictures, text and video via Cingular's instant messaging system. Other Cingular services are also supported, such as mobile email and web browsing. The Treo 650's web browser supports full-size web pages, and you can enter secure pages with 128-bit SSL encryption. POP3 email accounts provided by SBC, BellSouth, Yahoo, Earthlink, Comcast and AT&T Worldnet are all compatible with the 650's email client application. IMAP and Exchange-based email systems are also supported, and you can view photos, HTML, Word, Excel and PowerPoint attachments.

Vital Statistics The PalmOne Treo 650 weighs 6.30 ounces and measures 4.40 x 2.30 x .90 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6 hours of digital talk time, and up to 300 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

I love it!
One person might love a PDA/phone, another hate it. I love this one and here are a bunch of reasons why:
1) I had a cell phone stolen and I lost all those numbers on the CIM. I thought, "Why not just buy a palm-phone and avoid re-entering them all?" Setup was as easy as a notsync.
2) The Palm Contacts app integrates seamlessly with the phone portion, asking if you want to add new callers to the contact database each time. Plus you can very easily scroll through the entire call log and dial with a few button strokes.
3) I got over $100 off on rebates from Cingular. The service has been phenomenal.
4) The bluetooth ability has been welcomed. I love the freedom for driving and using a computer. NO MORE EARPIECE CABLES!
5) Battery life is very good, even with blue tooth.
6) There's a switch to disable all sound at the top of the unit. This is a welcome feature since I do so many meetings.
7) I always have a camera with me now. The camera is surprisingly good and will take films also.

To sum up, this gadget is a dream to a Systems Consultant. It's my 4th Palm and my 8th cel phone and I don't plan to part with it soon. I also recently dropped it while running across a parking lot and it just reset itself and was fine.

Great Phone - Great Provider
First, let me state that I am not a consumer user on Cingular.While it is my personal cell phone, I got an employee discount plan with Cingular.So, the one time I've had to make a customer service call to Cingular, I used their business customer service number and got immediate and usefull help.Plus, Rollover minutes and the great coverage really do make Cingular worth it.I can get a single for both calls and data in so many places were other providers don't work at all.

As for the phone, I love it.I've had it about 3 months now (bought it direct from Cingular when it came out) and as time passes, I use it more and more.There are a few programs for the phone you can purchase that I feel should be included, such as voice dialing.But all in all, it does just about everything I want it to and more.

Great PDA Phone despite Amazon Reviews
There are many on amazon giving horrible reviews for this phone and influenced me to hold off purchasing the Treo for some time.However, after much deliberation, I decided I could wade through the technical problems others had.THANK GOD!Not only did Amazon improve the in stock availability of the phone, so you receive it in less than 2 days, I have easily integrated all of my previous phone, palm, and computer information into one handy do it all machine.Do your research if you plan to buy this phone and look for other reviewers.There are sites that specifically review Treo's as well as providing extensive helpfull information to improve your experience.

There are three problems I have encountered, two of which (and most likely the cause of third) seem to be a problem with the locked palm software.

1.Is the bluetooth for wireless headsets has a volume issue and requires a patch to improve the headset volume.The problem is that if you exit the call screen to look at your schedule etc, while on the phone, the patch no longer works and the volume drastically decreases.This is a software glitch from palm and there is no known correction at the present time.

2.The palm comes preloaded with Real Player.The installation CD requires you set up your real player on your computer for easier access to all your media files.The problem is that I can not get the audio to work on any video files that I record or synch to my palm.Not quite where the problem is unless I'm missing codecs therefore I'm not sure of a fix.

3.I have experienced a few soft resets when fiddling with various phone settings.I'm not quite sure of the specific problem but I imagine it is the way the new flash drive works on this palm or it could be a software glitch. It happens very infrequently and I have never experienced a reset out of the blue.

Even with these problems and they are minor, the bluetooth being the most annoying, I can not be happier with the Treo.My pockets are empty and I have my phone, mp3, and pda all in one. Like I said, do your research and dont base your purchase solely on the reviews on Amazon.

Much Better Than I Thought (After Reading These Reviews)
Don't let the reviews on Amazon scare you if you're considering this phone!I purchased it, and after a billing issue was quickly resolved by Cingular's customer service, I was enjoying crystal-clear call quality.I then left on a vacation to the eastern United States and the call quality was great in both urban and rural settings. The icing on the cake is when I used Treo's email feature to close a valuable deal for my company!This is a great phone -- packed with useful features.You won't regret buying it.

Best smart phone/PDA you can buy
Smart phones do three things:PDA functions, phone and e-mail.Blackberry probably does e-mail best of all, but the Treo is great for people who want a PDA with good phone capabilities.There are better phones, but they don't do the PDA job as well.And the Treos run Palm software, so there are vast numbers of add-on programs you can buy.

I've had a Treo 600 for a year and recently upgraded to a 650.The PDA/phone integration on the Treo is superb -- you synch all your contacts with Outlook, find them easily on the PDA and then you can dial them with the push of a button.All the wirelss carries except Nextel have it available (April '05).

The main difference between the Treo 600 and 650 is the 650's high resolution screen.On the 600 it was hard to read maps clearly except zoomed in.The 650 cures that.The keyboard is also improved vs. the 600, although you still have to use your thumbs and trim your nails.But the keyboard is a lot more accurate and versatile than Graffiti.(Graffiti doesn't come with the Treo but you can buy Jot as an add-on.)And the 650 has Bluetooth capabilty so you can use a Bluetooth wireless headset.Palm changed to fixed memory in the 650 so you don't lose your data even if the battery runs out.

The web browsing capability is OK in a pinch, like when you want to find a flight or the weather or get a Mapquest map or a phone #.Memory is adequate but not overly generous.Buy an SD card to store large files (maps, in my case) and MP3 files.Also buy an add-on security program like Teallock - Palm's built-in security application is weak and clumsy to use.

All in all, the Treo has everything you could want if your priorites are PDA - phone - e-mail (in that order).It lacks WiFi capability for web browsing and e-mail at hot spots, but maybe that will be available in the next version, or maybe the carriers will have deployed high speed digital cellular technology by then.
... Read more

The BlackBerry 7100g is the first of its kind-- a fully-featured mobile phone that delivers the power of BlackBerry e-mail. This is one sweet little phone, loaded with all of the cool features you want, like integrated Bluetooth connectivity, speakerphone, and downloadable ringtones. Plus, surf the Web the way it was meant to be surfed with an ultra-large, high-resolution color screen.

Design

Click the image to get a closer look at the 7100g's features.

Design-wise, the 7100g is a departure from the form factor of previous BlackBerry models. This BlackBerry is far more phone-like, and RIM's engineers have managed to fit a QWERTY keyboard onto the handset's slim frame. Each button on the keypad shares two letters and the unit automatically determines which letter is the intended one based on what it predicts you are trying to spell. This unique predictive text technology, known as SureType, enables the 7100g's diminutive size. SureType also learns the words you use most often, further enhancing your typing speed.

The 7100g sports a large 240 x 260 screen with 65,000 colors-- plenty of real estate to view your emails, web browser content, messaging sessions and attachments. The venerable BlackBerry jog dial is located on the right side of the unit for quick scrolling through menus and emails. A speakerphone is housed in the top portion of the rear of the handset, just above the removable battery door. There's also a standard 2.5mm headset jack that can be used with the included headset.

Calling Features All the calling capabilities folks have come to expect in a wireless phone are present in the 7100g. As mentioned, the unit's speakerphone makes it easy to use the device handsfree, or if you prefer, use a wireless headset via the 7100g's built-in Bluetooth capability. A vibrating alert, speed dial, and a contacts list/address book that is limited only by the unit's 32 MB of internal memory, are also included. Any of the phone's 32 included polyphonic ringtones can be used to create caller-specific ringers so you can know who's calling without having to look at the handset. More ringtones are available from Cingular's MEdia mobile web service.

Messaging, Internet and Tools While the 7100g is a different kind of BlackBerry, it's still delivers the legendary BlackBerry email experience. With Cingular's BlackBerry service plans, you can receive emails instantaneously from up to 10 email accounts (personal and enterprise). With BlackBerry push technology, you don't need to retrieve your email. Instead, BlackBerry devices are designed to remain on and continuously connected to the wireless network, allowing you to be discreetly notified as new email arrives. Support is also built-in for viewing email attachments (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, and PDF formats).

If your company has BlackBerry Enterprise Server installed, you can take advantage of the power of wireless calendar synchronization. Your calendar events are exchanged wirelessly and automatically so that your desktop calendar and BlackBerry device calendar are synchronized. All your Outlook meeting requests, changes, and updates are instantaneously synchronized instantaneously with your desktop. Make meeting requests, invite new attendees and more, all on your 7100g. Users without Enterprise Server support can manually sync with their desktop calendars and contacts via Bluetooth or USB using the included BlackBerry Desktop software.

Use the 7100g's Web browser to access the Internet from the palm of your hand. Browse Web sites, get up-to-date stock quotes, read the latest news, check weather reports and more. Instant messaging and wireless messaging are also built into the 7100g. The unit supports AOL, Yahoo and ICQ instant messaging, as well as SMS text messaging. MMS messages can be received and forwarded.

The 7100g ships with a number of tools, including a calculator with a unit converter and a to-do list. The unit supports Java application and game downloads (available via the t-zones service). One game, BrickBreaker, is included.

Vital Statistics The RIM BlackBerry 7100g weighs 4.30 ounces and measures 4.70 x 2.30 x 0.8 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of digital talk time, and up to 8 days of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Very Fuctional Business Phone
If your looking for a slick thin phone that has 100 options and gadgets and advertises with the chic crowd...you know someone wearing sunglasses advertising it, then this phone is not for you. If your like me and and you spend 50 hours a week at work a lot of it traveling and you need the basics done well then this is the phone. No it doesn't have a camera and no it doesn't play music. It does do a really good job of "pushing' ur emails to you, sync's well with your PIM, the phone is definitly the loudest(one of my pet peeves with my other phones was that even all the way up I could barely hear)phone in the earpiece. I 've gotte great reception, the screen is just the right size.I think the browser works well.I've not yet had a probelm with battery life. If I had to describe the phone its a work horse for business. The 3rd party software is limited but the only thing I use is a E wallet. I recommend it.

Great (Addictive) for E-Mail, Loust Phone
RIM Blackberry has still not quite figured out how to make a cell phone.Don't get me wrong...

It is so bad, that I do not think you can use the 7100 as a primary phone in the U.S.

I am keeping it for data, but without the monthly voice plan.I am ordering another phone for voice.

Would that it were were not necessary to do so...

No stars for customer service and returns
Word to the wise! Don't make a miskate because the return policy between Cingular Wireless and Amazon.com is awful. I have been trying to resolve a return for weeks. In the interim, I received a bill ($149.00) from Cingular Wireless for a service I never used on a phone I don't have and never used.

It's so convenient!
I love having the ability to get all my email forwarded to the blackberry, it's so convenient. And the improved typing system on the 7100 makes it extrememly easy to reply to them all in a snap.The large color screen is definitely a big improvement over regular phones.The 7100 offers not only email capability, but also a large Address Book, Task pad, Memo Pad, Picture storage (which you can download from your emails), numberous built in ring tones, SMS (aka text messaging), an easy to use internet browser, games and so much more.I love my 7100 and would recommend it highly.

An excellent upgrade over earlier Blackberry models
This review is for existing Blackberry users contemplating an upgrade, especially business users who need to use RIM devices to comply with corporate security and other standards.

BACKGROUND: I am a confirmed "crackberry" addict. This is my fifth Blackberry: I was an early user of the 850 pager, the 857 larger screen, the 5810 (which I managed to crush), and the 6820 "blueberry", which died two weeks ago after 16+ months of hard use. I run a company that keeps about 35 BB devices running; mine is the fourth that we have deployed in the 7100 series. Some are model C(Cingular) and some T (Deutche Telecom). The other folks all love theirs. Mine is a T, but the comments apply to both.

SUMMARY: the 7100 is a big improvement and if you can stand a poor screen while outdoors, you will likely take to it after a few days of getting used to SureType.

IMPROVEMENTS over the 6820 blueberry.

-- Support for opening email attachments. Very helpful.

-- A much improved phone. Quad band for overseas. Bluetooth and autodialing for the car. A speakerphone for when you are on hold or need to add a colleague to a call. A bar not a brick form factor -- not nearly as lame to hold to your face.

-- A faster, better browser. More Java compliant, so you get further into more sites. Allows you to save photos. Seems to use cookies and cache better.

-- Faster memory and twice as much of it. 32MB of RAM and 4 of SRAM -- a lot more than my first desktop had.

-- SureType. I have been known to type short chapters on a Blackberry and some of our folks have literally injured their thumbs by typing too much - so I was very nervous about losing the QWERTY keyboard. But SureType works - just start typing and it figures most of it out. I am not yet quite as fast as I was on the old keyboard - but I am probably 80% as fast (and hey -- I should type shorter notes anyway).

-- A couple of nice touches: a photo album. (I carry pictures of my wife and kids around - I like it) and polyphonic ring tones. Some of these are obviously lame, but a bit of variety is nice. Brickbat is improved.

-- They stuck the entire help manual in the device. You won't need it often, but you will learn little tricks by referring to it occasionally.

SAME as ever: the software, the applications, the integration with Exchange, the security, the system software, the battery life are all still excellent. Support is still mediocre to nonexistent, but you don't need much.

PROBLEMS vs the 6820:

-- The screen is great indoors, but just dies in the sun - even if you turn the brightness up. I usually just seek out a bit of shade. In a side by side comparison with the 6820, it is clear that RIM made some tradeoffs on the screen that make it less usable outside. Autodialing makes this less of an issue in the car than it would be otherwise (and come to think of it, this limitation actually prevents bozos from doing email while driving. If you are one of these folks, get a 6820 and double up on your life insurance).

-- The keyboard is a tradeoff, but I think a small compromise in the end. It does take some practice to get used to, which has not been true of previous BB upgrades.

-- For some reason the thumbwheel seems less precise and my Brickbat scores would suggest that it is stickier. Many report that this gets better with 2-3 weeks use, but I'm not sure.

CONCLUSION: the 7100 series is a very impressive upgrade. Not perfect, but very good. If you don't need, don't want, or can't have a Treo, this is a fine choice.
... Read more

Star Wars fans rejoice! You can now get your exclusive s710a phone that comes preloaded with Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith content. Included are a C-3PO voice tone, TIE Fighter sound effect tone, Classic Trilogy Heroes exclusive graphic, Darth Maul graphic, demo version of downloadable game: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and a video clip of the AT-AT Approach scene--plus, you get access to download even more.

Just when you thought Sony Ericsson phones couldn't get any cooler, the s710a comes along, sporting an elegant, rotating design, support for high speed data networks, and a powerful integrated camera. Add these to a jumbo screen, Bluetooth, and support for expandable memory, and you've got one serious contender in the race to deliver the coolest of the cool in the high-end phone category.

Design

The s710a's swiveling design means that the keypad is only revealed when you need it. Because of this design, the phone more resembles a digital camera, with a massive 240 x 320 display on one side and a pronounced camera system on the other. There's even a grip on the back for holding the phone sideways when capturing photos. The camera unit, which is protected by a lens cover, features 1280 x 960 resolution (1.3 megapixel), as well as an LED flash. Meanwhile, a five-way directional button on the front of the device controls most of the phone's menus and features. A Memory Stick DUO slot is provided on the right side for easy memory expansion, and the phone ships with a 32 MB card included. In addition to USB and Bluetooth connectivity, the s710a also has an infrared receiver for data synchronization.

Exclusive Darth Maul graphic.

Exclusive Classic Trilogy graphic.

Calling Features The s710a's phone book can hold up to 510 contacts with multiple entries per contact. A call list remembers your most recent missed, received and dialed calls. The phone's voice activated dialing makes calling up to 50 of your contacts as easy as saying their names, while the built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Polyphonic ringtones are included and there's even a bundled application that lets you mix your own ringtones with up to 16 tracks. Picture caller ID lets you assign a photo to specific callers. Similarly, a ringer ID lets you assign ringtones to callers. For those times you want to keep things discreet, there's a vibrate ringer mode.

Because the s710a is Bluetooth-enabled, you can use a variety of headsets and handsfree kits for total wireless freedom when you're on the go.

Messaging, Internet and Tools If you're looking for a mobile office partner, the s710a has you covered. Support is built in for sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, sound and video via SMS or MMS messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in still and video camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging possibilities. Instant messaging is also supported and the phone ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols (Cingular messaging charges apply). Cingular has generously pre-configured email account settings for BellSouth, SBC, and Earthlink. There's also a built-in Web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

Getting on the Internet is easy with the s710a, as it supports the GPRS protocol, as well as the new, high speed EDGE data protocol. When used with a Cingular data plan and the phone's Bluetooth or USB data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs. Enjoy broadband speeds in EDGE-enabled service areas.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the s710a, including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar and an alarm clock. Use the s710a's Bluetooth capability to set up a wireless link with a Bluetooth accessory or connect to a computer or hand-held device to exchange and synchronize data. The phone also supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard. This means the phone can be used with the included Sony Ericsson Sync Station software, which lets you synchronize your Microsoft Outlook calendar, contacts, notes and tasks with your s710a.

Click the image to get a closer look at the s710a's features.

Imaging and Entertainment As mentioned, the phone sports a powerful 1.3 megapixel camera and flash. The camera also features an 8x zoom capability, as well as support for video capture. You can capture as much video as you like, as long as there is available memory.

The s710a is a powerful gaming companion, too, with support for enhanced, Java-based 3D gaming. The phone comes preloaded with several games and more are downloadable from both Sony Ericsson and Cingular's MEdia service. Lastly, the s710a has a nifty MP3 player, so you can load up your memory card and listen to tunes while you're on the go.

Vital Statistics The Sony Ericsson s710a weighs 4.83 ounces and measures 4.23 x 1.93 x .96 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 7 hours of digital talk time, and up to 300 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/1800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Style with substance
Pros (in the order of importance):
- Brilliant screen. Among the very best out there.
- Beautifully designed user interface.
- Stylish. Looks like a phone Darth Vader would use (yeah I know, a lame Star Wars pun).
- Excellent connectivity options with world class Bluetooth implementation.
- Lots of memory (32 MB internal and includes 32 MB MemoryStick DUO) and expandable, too.
- Strong RF reception and good audio quality.
- Class 10 EDGE and GPRS for speedier Internet access.
- Excellent theme support with tons of excellent themes you can download.
- Great Java support, including Java 3D.

Cons (in the order of importance):
- Measuring 0.96" in thickness, it won't comfortably fit into your pocket (especially your shirt).
- Menu navigation is a bit slow.
- Not a quad-band phone (no 900 MHz GSM).
- Battery life is just decent (lasts about 2 days of typical use, less than a day if you play with it heavily).
- Loud alert sounds, particularly camera shutter.
- Speakerphone volume is a bit low.
- Despite hooplas surrounding its CCD 1.3 mega pixel camera, it will not replace your digital camera.
- Ultimately, swivel keypad area is a novelty.
- Does not support MemoryStick DUO Pro (limited to 128 MB MemoryStick DUO).
- Expensive considering it is not a smartphone.
- Slow HTML rendering (WAP is very good, however).

Like many Sony products, Sony Ericsson S710a leaves strong first impression. It is extremely slick, with metal-like black chassis with substantial feel. I am not a fan of black electronic devices, but this I approve. Everything feels substantial and high quality, to swivel action (it requires a bit of force and cannot easily be done with one hand) and opening the camera lens cover. Turn it on and stunning LCD will greet you. It has 240 by 320 LCD with 262,144 colors on 2.3" screen, which translates to whopping 174 pixels per inch. Everything looks super sharp with paper-like clarity.

Beauty is not skin deep. User interface is equally slick, with sharp and highly readable text and very colorful icon graphics. Navigating the menu is a bit slow from time-to-time due to fancy animation.

None of these bells and whistles matter if S710a does not work well as a phone which it does. While not quite at the level of Nokia 6230 or 6620 in terms of RF reception, S710a is excellent at holding on to the signal. In fact, it is currently ranked 3rd on Cingular's list of best performing phones. Both inbound and outbound audio are very good, as long as you don't accidentally block tiny microphone hole with your finger. Speakerphone is full-duplex and works well, but it requires an extra button press after the call is connected. I found the speakerphone volume to be a bit on the low side.

Contacts management has been Sony Ericsson's strong point. On S710a, each contact can have 5 phone numbers, email address, web site, photo, custom ring tone, title, company, full mailing address, and miscellaneous information. My only quibbles are 510 contact storage space (sufficient for my purpose, but given the phone's spacious 32 MB internal memory, it should be larger) and first-letter only contact search.

S710a is mainly touted for CCD camera feature. In fact, the phone looks more like camera than phone. Just about every camera phones are equipped with mediocre low-end CMOS camera, which draws less power and occupies less space but takes lousy pictures. S710a is distinguished by CCD camera that dedicated digital cameras typically use. Unfortunately, S710a's camera is not as good as dedicated digital cameras. Even at 1280 by 960 resolution (1.3 mega pixels), photos have fuzzy look to it. Although photos come out far sharper and more colorful than most camera phones, you won't mistake them for dedicated digital camera photos. Also bothersome is bluish cast. It is as if tungsten lighting is permanently engaged. Still, the camera is more than adequate for casual use, and it even includes flash light. The camera is also capable of recording video clips, at maximum of 176 by 144 QCIF resolution.

S710a has an excellent multimedia support, compatible with polyphonic MIDI (40 chords), MP3, WAV, and MPEG-4 AAC audio formats; and MPEG-4 3GPP video format. While it is missing a play list management feature, it includes few nice surprises such as a 5-band graphics equalizer. Video playback is limited to 176 by 144, which is a shame given its gorgeous 240 by 320 screen. S710a includes a decent pair of stereo earphones.

S710a supports Bluetooth 1.1, which is not the latest, but it supports wider range of Bluetooth profiles than most cell phones. It connects very quickly with Bluetooth headsets and syncs and integrates beautifully on Mac. On Mac, it will integrate with Address Book (dial and SMS), sync address book and calendar via iSync, act as a GPRS/EDGE dial-up modem, exchange files wirelessly (music, photos, games, Java applications, and video clips), and can act as a mouse and computer remote control (e.g., controlling PowerPoint/Keynote slide). It works well with Windows XP Service Pack 2 as well, with good file exchange support and syncing with Outlook with included software. Via Bluetooth, I have uploaded 5 games and a Mac OS X Tiger theme that I created with included Theme Creator software. Speaking of themes, wallpaper, screensaver, and ring tones (supports both MIDI and MP3) can be fully customized, too.

All in all, S710a is a very cool phone. It may be a bit large for some and perhaps too expensive. And some may be dismayed by lack of smart phone features. However, the screen is simply stunning, with beautifully rendered user interface, works great with Mac OS X, and it works well as a phone.

When!?
I don't understand what the deal is with this phone. It's not available in most zipcodes I type in and when I called in to see why it wasn't I didn't get a straight answer. I don't know what Amazon's relationship is with Cingular but it's been very inconvenient for me lately. I've been trying to get a new phone for a while but there's always something on this site that stops me from ordering! And I still don't know why Amazon and Cingular haven't come to an agreement as to why you can't port your number over. I really think they should think of something with it being a LAW and all! Flex your muscles Amazon! Stop holding their products otherwise! This is getting rediculous!!

i'm just OK with it
PROs:
the phone looks and feels great!
the audio quality is the best!
the pic quality is great for a camera phone!!!

CONs:
sometimes, the keys don't respond very fast.
the keytone function doesn't work well. it beeps sometimes, and doesn't some other time. i called and got a replacement, but the second one does the same thing! then i found out, when it does beep, the sound is kinda loud and annoying. so that function doesn't really matter!

but i wonder if it's only the Star Wars edition does that or all of them.

anyway, i'm OK with it, as long as it doesn't have any other probs!
... Read more

Just when you thought Sony Ericsson phones couldn't get any cooler, the s710a comes along, sporting an elegant, rotating design, support for high speed data networks, and a powerful integrated camera. Add these to a jumbo screen, Bluetooth, and support for expandable memory, and you've got one serious contender in the race to deliver the coolest of the cool in the high-end phone category.

Design

Click the image to get a closer look at the s710a'sfeatures.

The s710a's swiveling design means that the keypad is only revealed when you need it. Because of this design, the phone more resembles a digital camera, with a massive 240 x 320 display on one side and a pronounced camera system on the other. There's even a grip on the back for holding the phone sideways when capturing photos. The camera unit, which is protected by a lens cover, features 1280 x 960 resolution (1.3 megapixel), as well as an LED flash. Meanwhile, a five-way directional button on the front of the device controls most of the phone's menus and features. A Memory Stick DUO slot is provided on the right side for easy memory expansion, and the phone ships with a 32 MB card included. In addition to USB and Bluetooth connectivity, the s710a also has an infrared receiver for data synchronization.

Calling Features The s710a's phone book can hold up to 510 contacts with multiple entries per contact. A call list remembers your most recent missed, received and dialed calls. The phone's voice activated dialing makes calling up to 50 of your contacts as easy as saying their names, while the built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Polyphonic ringtones are included and there's even a bundled application that lets you mix your own ringtones with up to 16 tracks. Picture caller ID lets you assign a photo to specific callers. Similarly, a ringer ID lets you assign ringtones to callers. For those times you want to keep things discreet, there's a vibrate ringer mode.

It's a 1.3 megapixel camera!

No, wait, it's a media viewer with a massive 2.3-inch screen.

Oh my gosh! It's also a phone!

Because the s710a is Bluetooth-enabled, you can use a variety of headsets and handsfree kits for total wireless freedom when you're on the go.

Messaging, Internet and Tools If you're looking for a mobile office partner, the s710a has you covered. Support is built in for sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, sound and video via SMS or MMS messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in still and video camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging possibilities. Instant messaging is also supported and the phone ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols (Cingular messaging charges apply). Cingular has generously pre-configured email account settings for BellSouth, SBC, and Earthlink. There's also a built-in Web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

Getting on the Internet is easy with the s710a, as it supports the GPRS protocol, as well as the new, high speed EDGE data protocol. When used with a Cingular data plan and the phone's Bluetooth or USB data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs. Enjoy broadband speeds in EDGE-enabled service areas.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the s710a, including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar and an alarm clock. Use the s710a's Bluetooth capability to set up a wireless link with a Bluetooth accessory or connect to a computer or hand-held device to exchange and synchronize data. The phone also supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard. This means the phone can be used with the included Sony Ericsson Sync Station software, which lets you synchronize your Microsoft Outlook calendar, contacts, notes and tasks with your s710a.

Imaging and Entertainment As mentioned, the phone sports a powerful 1.3 megapixel camera and flash. The camera also features an 8x zoom capability, as well as support for video capture. You can capture as much video as you like, as long as there is available memory.

The s710a is a powerful gaming companion, too, with support for enhanced, Java-based 3D gaming. The phone comes preloaded with several games and more are downloadable from both Sony Ericsson and Cingular's MEdia service. Lastly, the s710a has a nifty MP3 player, so you can load up your memory card and listen to tunes while you're on the go.

Vital Statistics The Sony Ericsson s710a weighs 4.83 ounces and measures 4.23 x 1.93 x .96 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 7 hours of digital talk time, and up to 300 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/1800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Expensive, though very capable phone.
First off, the screen is downright gorgeous.I picked up this phone about 4 days ago after I jumped ship with T-Mobile, and decided to give Cingular a try.All my friends and family members use Cingular so a two-year contract doesn't really bother me.I payed $300 and will recieve a $100 via mail-in rebate.The price was on point considering my old phone, a Motorola V300, cost me $250 and didn't have half the features of this phone.

This phone is not perfect though.Off the bat I noticed that the UI was unresponsive at times.It's pretty annoying but it's acceptable.Another gripe I have is with Sony about it's proprietary storage medium.I have a PSP and recently purchased a 512 MB Memory Stick PRO Duo.I thought, because they are the same form factor, that I could interchange the PRO Duo with the Duo used in the S710a but no.I'm relagated to 128 MB maximum storage capacity so the mp3 functionality of the phone, for me, has been reduced.All the other features: Bluetooth, camera, etc all work fine but don't expect to purchase a case that will protect your investment.Because of it's unique swivel design, the only cases available for the phone are enclosed cases.If I have a phone that's better than all of my friends, I want to show it off, not hide it in a case!!

As far as the service with Cingular, it's been decent.My signal is a lot greater that it ever was with T-mobile and the girl that helped me set up my account was hot!!Props to Cingular for hiring such fine girls.

If you want a stylish phone that will turn even the heads of Sprint employees, then buy this phone.If you want an everyday run of the mill phone go spend your money elsewhere.

Good phone but..
You all know about the slowness of the menus.. this plagued my old sony ericsson t300 too.. its a good phone, full of features, very nice screen (thou a bit darker than i expected) however whats up with that hold button/slide?? I have never seen that in another phone and i think its a stupid stupid design.. more often than not my thumb just slides over it, its not grippy enough.. and the games are all demos?? wow so cheap of you sony..

UPDATE: The hold is released either by the hold slide/button or pressing *, unlock.. so its not that bad :)

Not all that
This phone looks great, menus are easy to use, and its got a wonderful display.That aside, the performance of the phone is not what it should be for the price.Others have noted sluggish menus.This is the second s710a I've owned, the first sent back for technical reasons, and the menu speed is horrible.The phone will lock up for up to 20 seconds, and then finally release...performing the 3 or 4 functions you pressed while it was frozen.Its unresponsive for a $400 phone.Secondly, sound quality on the phone is fine if you get the microphone in just the right spot, but if you try to cradle the phone in your shoulder and talk, no one will be able to hear you.Overall, the phone is a huge disappointment...from sound quality to responsiveness, they should have done better for the price.

Dream phone since I got it for $40
This is my dream phone.I love the gigantic screen, the swivel and Bluetooth.I've had it for a month now, and I still can't believe how cool the video recorder is.It takes really good pictures and the speakerphone and mp3 player sound great.Plus, I was surprised it came with a USB memory stick reader and it wasn't an additional accessory I had to purchase.The only problems are that it's a bit bulky and the price of course is EXCESSIVE.If I wasn't able to get it for $40, I wouldn't have been able to get this great phone.If you want to find out how you can get it for $40 as well(...)

Best Phone Ever
This is one the best phone that I have owned so far.The screen is unmatched and the speaker is loud and clear.Reception is comparable with Nokia which are known for the best reception in GSM.I like this phone a lot.Menu speed doesn't bother me and I am sure that a firmware release will remedy this.If you have used Nokia, Motorola, or any other GSM phone, do your self a favor and step up to this phone.It will blow everything else in the water.Swivel design is great and the camera really shines for a camera phone.Plenty of on-board memory and you can use Memory Stick Duo cards up to 128MB each if you need more space for pictures and MP3s.A lot of built in functions like calendar, timer, stop watch, notes, etc.Themes can be downloaded to make the phone look unique.There are plenty of free themes available at Zedge online.All you have to do is register for free.You can them transfer them to your phone wirelessly if you have a Bluetooth adapter.Sony Ericsson phones are known for their fully functional and excellent Bluetooth.Apple Macs and Sony Ericsson phones were made for each other in the Bluetooth world.
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This Symbian operating system-based smart-phone from Nokia offers flagship features in an innovative form factor. With a VGA camera, removable memory expansion, Bluetooth, and support for EDGE high speed data, the 6620 is the ideal solution for mobile warriors. And because the unit runs in the Symbian Series 60 platform, scores of third-party applications and peripherals are available.

Click the image to get a closer look at the 6620's design.

Design The 6620's large screen sports 176 x 208 resolution, as well as support for 65,000 colors. Just below the display is a five-way selection button that allows you to navigate and control the phone's menu's and features, and the unit's internal antenna means there's nothing to snag or break off. The rear of the phone houses the VGA camera unit, which features 640 x 480 resolution. An MMC memory slot allows you to expand the unit's built-in 12 MB of internal memory, and the unit ships with a 32 MB card.

Calling Features The 6620's address book is only limited by the amount of available memory, and it can store multiple phone numbers, as well as physical and email addresses. Meanwhile, the 6620's built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Polyphonic ringtones are included, as is a vibrating alert, and you can use your favorite MP3s as ringtones. Meanwhile, more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia wireless web service. Ringer IDs let you assign specific ringtones to particular callers, while picture ID technology lets you similarly assign images or pictures to callers. In addition to name-based voice recognition dialing, the phone also features technology that lets you control menu functions with your voice. Lastly, the phone's Bluetooth connectivity means that your favorite Bluetooth headset is fully compatible.

Messaging, Internet and Tools The 6620 is a mobile messaging and Internet powerhouse. With support for the MMS (multimedia messaging service), the phone can send picture, video and text messages (Cingular messaging charges apply). When coupled with the 6620's camera, MMS opens up great opportunities for robust messaging. Instant messaging is also supported, and the phone ships with a built-in email client that supports POP3 and IMAP protocols.

Getting on the Internet is easy with the 6620. It supports the GPRS data protocol, as well as the new, high-speed EDGE wireless data service. When used with a Cingular Wireless Internet Express data plan and the phone's USB or Bluetooth data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs. There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

The 6620 supports PC synchronization standards via USB or Bluetooth, which means you can manage and synchronize contacts, calendar and other data with your PC. Nokia's PC Suite application makes this process a breeze. You can also use Bluetooth to connect a wireless keyboard for efficient text entry. A number of handy software tools are bundled with the 6620 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar, and an alarm clock. Plus, as mentioned, a wide range of applications are available for Symbian devices like the 6620, such as mobile document editors, spreadsheet apps, and much more.

Imaging and Entertainment The 6620 is designed for flexible mobile fun. The built-in megapixel camera -- which has self-timer, digital zoom, and night mode functions -- captures stills and video clips to the phone's internal memory. More photos, videos, applications and games can be stored on the memory expansion card. The phone supports playback of MP3 and AAC audio files, as well as 3GPP and RealMedia video files, so you can use it as a mobile video and music player. Lastly, picture effects and custom screensavers, as well as backgrounds and themes can be set up to fit your personality.

And don't forget that the 6620 is a powerful gaming companion with support for Java and Symbian games. Many games are downloadable via the Cingular MEdia service.

Vital Statistics The Nokia 6620 weighs 4.37 ounces and measures 4.28 x 2.29 x 0.93 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of digital talk time, and up to 200 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/1800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Adam Grossman
I've had the Nokia 6620 since Sep04.I purchased it as a bridge between a PDA and cell phone.I tried the Palm Treo 600 and was not impressed.The Nokia 6620 is adequate as a PIM, but still does not work as well as a stand-alone PDA.During the first few months, it would periodically lock up and the only way to re-boot would be to remove the battery.The problem resolved as mysteriously as it began, with no action on my part.The phone is feature rich and the camera was an unexpected bonus.I originally did not think I would use the camera, but have found over time it has been quite handy!I also discoved a glitch in the Nokia PC Suite software.When I sync'd from Outlook XP, the phone would not allow me to then save any phone numbers to the SIM card.The only time I could save a phone number to the SIM was when I manually entered the contact information into the phone.I also discovered that there was no way to save text messages to the MMC, or export them to my PC.This was a problem when I thought I was going to have to exchange the phone, and did not want to lose text messages.I have also been disappointed with the design of the ear piece connection.It is difficult/awkward to connect, and seems to be easy to disconnect.I think the 2.5mm connector is far better.The other connector is obviously necessary for the ability to sync with a PC.I have been able to send and receive text messages and photos; however, I have not been able to figure out how to IM.The E-wallet feature is interesting, but I haven't found an opportunity to test it.The battery life seems decent, but it depends how many applications you are running and what kind of signal strength you have.Operating in a weak signal environment will run the battery down faster.Overall, talk time is acceptable.The MMode Internet access is abbreviated but can be handy.I have not yet tested it as a wireless modem and cannot offer any comments.

good phone bad sercive
The phone is great but the customer service sucks ! Try getting a biiling issue or technical issue resolved with AT&T/Cingular..

after you have signed a contract, they treat you like dirt..
If you change your plan, rest assured -- your billing will get messed up..after that you need to spend hours on the phone trying to resolve it with customer service..

I was Sprint before and their service was so much better !

Great Phone
I have used this phone for 6 months now. Have no compliants at all. I like all its features. bluetooth setup was very easy. I like the functionality where we can add any mp3 music as the ringtone. We can add any jpeg picture as wallpaper. This phone has everything we need on a cell phone. I have even dropped it on cement floors, luckily nothing happend just some scratches.
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Get ready to join the high-speed wireless data revolution with the Samsung P777. And get ready to do it in style, as this phone sports a unique sliding design that is sure to turn heads. Other goodies include a 1.3 megapixel camera, a jumbo color screen with enhanced resolution, an MP3 player, video capture capabilites, 100 MB of internal memory, and much more. The P777 is the perfect handset for folks who want to combine all their tech-tools into one slim package.

Click the image to get a closer look at the P777's functions.

Design The P777's sliding design hides the phone's number pad under the display until you need to make a call. The large, 176 x 220 display supports up to 262,000 colors, plenty of resolution and color depth for your videos and photos. A five-way center control button is positioned below the display, as are shortcut and selection keys. The phone's 1.3 megapixel (1280 x 960) camera and LED flash are housed on the rear of the phone. There's also a self-portrait mirror, which is cleverly positioned on the rear of the phone's sliding portion. USB data and charging ports are located on the phone's bottom edge, and a connector for a standard 2.5 mm headset is provided. Lastly, the phone has an infrared port for additional data connectivity and wireless contacts list synchronization functions.

Calling Features The P777's phone book can hold up to 1000 contacts with multiple entries per contact. A call list remembers your most recent missed, received and dialed calls. In addition to a vibrating alert, the P777 features 64-chord polyphonic ringtones and MP3-based music ringtones. You can also download additional MP3 music and "supertone" enhanced ringtones from Cingular's MEdia service. Picture caller ID lets you assign a photo to specific callers. Similarly, a ringer ID lets you assign ringtones to callers.

Messaging, Internet and Tools The P777 has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging. Support is built in for sending and receiving text, video, graphics and sound via messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun, and video messaging brings the messaging experience to an exciting new level. Cingular customers can send video messages to any email address or to any Cingular video capable phone that supports the multimedia messaging service. AOL Instant Messenger is also included and the phone ships with a built-in email client. The email client is preconfigured for accounts from some of the most popular ISPs, including Bellsouth.net, SBC Yahoo, and Earthlink.

Getting on the Internet is easy with the P777. It supports the GPRS protocol, as well as the new, high speed EDGE data protocol. When used with a Cingular data plan and the phone's USB data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs. There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the P777 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator with currency converter, a calendar, and a to-do list.

Imaging and Entertainment The P777 is designed to kick the fun up a few notches. The built-in 1.3 megapixel camera captures stills and video to the phone's 100 MB of internal memory. Get ready to make your own movies on the fly; you can capture up to 60 minutes of video at 176 x 144 resolution. Into music? You're in luck there, too. Store up to 100 of your favorite songs on the P777 and listen whenever the feeling strikes you. Simply upload the songs from your PC via the phone's USB interface, then organize and play your songs with the P777's built-in music management software. The phone even ships with a stereo headset. Lastly, if you want to dress up the P777, picture effects, custom screensavers, backgrounds, and themes can be set up to fit your personality.

Java support is built into the P777, making it a powerful gaming companion. Games are downloadable via the MEdia service or you can use the handset's USB data connection to load more games and files onto the phone.

Vital Statistics The Samsung P777 weighs 3.88 ounces and measures 3.64 x 1.81 x 0.93 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 300 minutes of digital talk time, and up to 200 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE 800/1800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Big Disappointment.
I bought this phone cause I was eligible for an upgrade with cingular. I like to have the latest technology so this phone was going to replace my Sony Ericsson T616 which I loved.I had Nokia (great phones) and Motorolla before (dont care for them really) so I decided to give Samsung a try since I've heard pretty good things about them and the reviews were favorable.
For the price (without commitment) this phone is unaceptable in my book when you can have the Sony s710a for $100 more and it does all the stuff that you would EXPECT a $400 phone to do.

Pros: Great 1.3 MP camera with zoom, flash and other modes.
Good MP3 player, sounds pretty good with the headset that comes with the phone (dont imagine IPOD quality or anything though)
Amazing resolution and color screen

Cons:No triband although advertised as that
No Speakerphone although advertised as that (you can play the MP3s and listen to them through a speakerphone but you cant use it for a call, how DUMB is that?)
No bluetooth?!?
No sync with outlook even though it says so (even my T616 does that).
Cannot assign MP3 you store on the phone as ringtones...PLEASE!
Picture viewing, deleting, etc extremely slow.
No radio.
Battery lasts for a day.

Thankfully I had 30 days to return the phone back to cingular which I did after I tried to like it for 3 days, but I couldn't. Some of the cons are unacceptable for a smart phone like this one and especially at this price.I thought about buying the Sony s710a but I think I am going to wait for the w800.As for now I am back using my beloved T616.

Full user opinion
This phone is overrated. I was really excited to receive it 2 days ago and now I plan to return it and switch to Verizon. I favor flip phones over the slider, for the simple reason that the screen is protected. Furthermore, when this phone is closed, the screen is blank! You have to slide it open or hold down a button just to see if you have a missed call or see the time/date. Call quality is poor, not nearly as good as when I had T-Mobile with an old T720. Battery life is awful, barely stays charged for more than a day with moderate use. I expected much more than I got with this phone, and am glad I can still return it with no fee.

nice phone..just a few knit picks.
I've had my p777 for a week now...I bought it to replace my x426, and there are just so many new features on this phone that my old Samsung didn't have. So I'm slowly adapting to it.

The one thing that irks me that I probably won't get over is that there is no special "light sequence" or visible light display that alerts you when you have a new message. The sharp red blinking light from my x426 that told me I had a message was something I started to rely on, so now I find myself constantly sliding my phone up to check new messages.

I consider myself fairly computer literate. But it took me a while to get the hang of the EasyStudio File Manager. I finally figured it out, but I also got messages saying the software might not be completely compatible with XP, so I'm not sure if I'll run into problems later.

I was able to store about 20 mp3s on here, that is, including the memory used for pictures, audio, and video. Decent for a phone, but not if you're counting on it being your main music player. I still haven't figured out or found information on how to download mp3s from the wireless web on the phone, or if it's even possible... through my understanding i thought it was..???Anyone ?

Other than those [small] issues, it's a nice phone with tons of features to keep you busy. just make sure they're the right features for Y O U.

Full House with poor basics & NO SPEAKER! Urgh
I have used Samsung phones throughout 90s. Then, Nokia phones twice, then Samsung polyphonic phones twice.

This is my first review on the first day of Cingular network using P777. And I got mine at wirefly.com at $249 (with 181 day rebate credit of $125+$125)

I am quite disappointed that the lengthy manual did not help much after I figured all the menu functions just playing with the navigator key for the first 30 min. So, the interface is good.

Now, it has been 3 hours struggling to make my P777 detected with PC. It simply would not get hooked up with my HP notebook with XP Home OS (bought in 2005) - with a warning, saying, 'not compatible.' This is the first problem.

So, I am raising this question to other users: does anybody know how to fix this issue: USB Port- unknown device? I repeatedly installed file manager but my only guess is that the driver is not included or cannot be installed. And, I cannot test IR connectivity, either.

Secondly, Samsung website does not support P777 at all. It is noteven listed in samsungusa.com. Instead, type samsungtelecom.com to find other mobile products. But still I cannot find any useful info. or support from the company websites for this model, P777.

Thirdly, wirefly.com, cingular.com, Cnet.com all said it comes with a speaker, but, IT DOES NOT!!! For the worse,the call volume with other Cingular users were not impressiveeither. And, I live in a city with no high-rises.

So, my verdict based on my first impression is that it is "full house" with no basic function perfected. No manufactur's Support, Installation problems, NO Speaker, poor call sound volume... Video/Pic qualityis still that of a poor webcam. I seriously start to ask myself, do I really need this gadget being troubled this much already?

Before you buy this phone, make sure all these problems I have experieced in the first several hours are fixedor wait for a updated version.

I might return mine pretty soon if I cannot have it recognized with my laptop. Or, I will update my review if I resolve all these issues.

For all the PROS, read other reviewers' writing.

A Lot of Punch in a Little Package
If you are looking for a new device on the forefront of multimedia capibilities, then this phone should definately be put under consideration.

The screen, while certainly not as big as the likes of the Sony-Ericsson S710a, is large enough, and the 262k colors displayed really show off the imaging capabilities of this phone.The camera is a 1.3 megapixel, and while there seems to be a slight bit of unexpected grain in the photos, the overall quality is superb.The camcorder really shines--the image quality is great and the sound is top-notch--the best I've ever heard on a videophone.

The MP3 player sounds pretty good; you're not going to pitch your iPod, but the quality is nice for someone who wants to consolidate devices.The provided headphones are a bit of a pain though, hopefully Samsung will come out with a more comfortable version of them.I really had no problem using the Easy Studio File Transfer Software--it's pretty easy to use.Wireless internet downloads are fairly fast using the GPRS network--I can only imagine what it's like with EDGE.

The device has a pretty robust 100 MB of internal memory--plenty for songs, pictures, and video.While some the option for some addition removaable memory like a Memory Duo or FlashCard would've been nice, the average user probably wouldn't need it.

The phone itself has great sound quality--I can hear those on the other end of the line loud and clear and vice versa.Any problems with the service would most likely be that of the network and not with the device.

Probably my own real nitpick with the phone is the size.It's a pretty small thing--not exactly like, say, a candy bar style phone, but it's pretty petite.The numeric buttons are tiny and crammed together.If you have big hands, it's something to think about.

Other than that little problem, I really recommend this phone.If you're looking for a phone crammed with multimedia capabilities and you have a little money to spend--consider this device.

Step up to some serious power and svelte portability with the Audiovox SMT5600. At just 4.24 inches high and 1.82 inches wide, it's the world's smallest Windows Mobile Smartphone. In addition to making calls, the SMT5600 lets you do things you'd typically need a PC to do, like email, text messaging, instant messaging and web browsing-- all from one integrated phone. What's more, the unit's software is designed to sync seamlessly with email, contacts and calendar information on your PC. This Smartphone also ups the ante for mobile music and video lovers with Windows Media Player 10.

The "Today Screen" keeps tabs on all your important functions, tasks, and applications.

Design The large 2.2-inch, 176 x 220 screen dominates the front of the device. The SMT5600's controls maximize available space on the small unit. A four-way selection button allows you to navigate and control the Windows Mobile interface. Up/down keys are located on the left side of the unit for quick menu navigation. A mini-SD card slot is housed in the battery compartment, underneath the unit's lithium-ion battery. The rear of the phone sports a VGA camera with video capture capability. A power key and infrared port are housed on the top of the unit, while a universal charger/data port and headphone jack are present on the bottom.

Calling Features The SMT5600 has all the latest calling features folks have come to expect. With Windows Mobile for Smartphones 2003 Second Edition built-in, you can enjoy integration of your calling, contacts and scheduling functions, all wrapped up in a familar Windows-like interface. The included speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear, while voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names. The phone's Bluetooth connectivity means that your favorite Bluetooth headset is fully compatible.

Messaging, Internet and Tools The SMT5600 is designed as a complete solution for people who want to bring their office with them. The unit comes packed with pocket versions of Outlook, Internet Explorer and MSN Messenger. Pocket Outlook features integrated calendar and email functions, as well as a contacts list that is cleverly integrated with the phone's dialing functions. Microsoft's ActiveSync software keeps the device synced with all of your PC's Outlook information (via Bluetooth, USB, or IR connection). Out of the box, the phone is also compatible with Cingular's MEdia wireless content portal which lets you read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Meanwhile, users who want Internet connectivity on the road with their laptop or PDA can select a Cingular wireless data package and tap the SMT5600's wireless modem capabilities (via Bluetooth or USB).

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the SMT5600 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a to-do list, and an alarm clock. T9 predictive text entry technology is also included.

Imaging and Entertainment In addition to a VGA still camera, the SMT5600 is capable of recording video clips to its built-in 64 MB of memory. Memory can be upgraded to 1 GB of storage via the mini-SD card slot. The inclusion of Windows Media 10 on the SMT5600 opens up a whole range of possibilities for this phone. Use the phone as an MP3 player. Discover and purchase more tunes via the Windows Mobile music store. Sync the device with Windows Media Player 10 on your PC to download last night's TV shows so you can watch them whenever you want. For gamers, the phone supports Java-based and Windows Mobile game downloads. It ships with Jawbreaker and Solitaire.

Vital Statistics The Audiovox SMT5600 weighs 3.58 ounces and measures 4.24 x 1.82 x 0.69 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of digital talk time, and up to 140 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Call, email, text message or instant message - all from one integrated phone

Email, contacts and calendar sync seamlessly with your PC

Built-In CMOS VGA Camera with Camcorder

Built-In Bluetooth and Speakerphone

Reviews (7)

Incredible phone
After reading many reviews on this product and others, I figured I should contribute when I've really found a great product with the help of Amazon reviews.This phone is amazing, and a fraction of the size of my previous SX56.If you don't need to type emails and want a smartphone that will sync all of your contacts, this is it.The only valid criticisms are the thumbstick (which is a little tricky to push down - you just have to press carefully) and the manual (non-network) time.Other than that, it's everything I had hoped.Bluetooth and Outlook sync work flawlessly, and voice reception is good.I love it!

This phone does everything
I've had this phone for about 6 months and have no regrets about getting it.It is still top of the line as far as I'm concerned.It has an internal antenna and is small, so it's easy to carry inside a pocket.It seems to be durable - it has survived many drops onto pavement with only a couple of scratches.The only problem I've ever had with it was when the battery died and I kept turning it back on to check the time.Eventually, the backup battery inside also died and I had to do a hard reset and reinstall all the software, including what was on the miniSD card.

This is definately a phone for all the computer and gadget geeks out there.It runs on a special Windows for Wmartphone O.S., but there is still a lot of software available for it.I have installed a map of my city, a dictionary, stopwatch/timer, AOL instant messanger... anyways there is a lot of stuff available, and a lot of it is free.The Windows Media Player is great, and with a 512 MB miniSD card and 48 kb/s wma audio, you can get 20+ albums of high quality music to fit on the phone.

The only feature is does not have is that you can't have a separate ringtone for each caller.Also, you can't take it apart to clean the inside of the screen (After 6 months it's only slightly dirty)

Best phone I have ever owned.
I read alot of the reviews [here] before purchasing because I was skeptical of the "Audiovox" name. I always thought they were a low-end Walmart brand of electronics.

Audiovox has strengthened my image in that brand name. This phone is amazing. It has everything Windows compatible you can think of and the possibilities of adding software/improvements to the phone are endless. This smartphone is a 200 Mhz beast of a hand-held computer. I really like the windows interface, the buttons are cool feeling (except the 5-way cursor button), the case looks and feels nice, the camera is better than my last camera phone (but not my megapixel camera), and the HTML internet browsing is exspensive ($40 Cingular Unlimited?)but really handy.

I was completely blown away after downloading DVD-to-Mobile from download.com and ripping the my favorite dvds! I am watching all kinds of movies on this phone! THe screen has a slight problem rendering true black but holding it at a certain angle makes the movies appear very much like their DVD counterparts. Note: Tivo also offers a Tivo-to-Go service for free that allows you to transfer Tivo'ed shows to your computer and specifically to transfer to a laptop [or phone] and watch on the road. THe movies are about a meg a minute and take up too much space for this phone's tiny 24 Meg built-in memory. Mini-SD goes all the way to 1 gig and that could hold several full movies depending on your video output settings.

Buy this ridiculously inexspensive Power phone!

Excellent Phone
I really like this phone, especially with an unlimited data plan.Internet everywhere you get signal!

It does everything I want it to do. I cannot wait until the 1GB miniSD memory cards come out. Q2 2005 they say, so should be any day now.MP3s, Movies(even Divx and xvid!), console emulators, all run on this thing. There's even a way to make this thing do voice dialing! And I'm sure there's more.

One of the main reasons I got this phone is for the multimedia capabilities coupled with the PIM features.And its great.

The camera is a bit lacking, but no camerahone is good, IMO.Just a gimmick.

I do not know why the luser below had such problems with this phone, it must be user error!:PThough I will give him a slight bit of credit for his clever observation that data plans are a bit expensive.But I personally I think it's worth it.

Though true that the menus and how some of the features work take a bit of getting used to for someone not used to smartphones, but this phone deserves every bit of praise it has received here.Definitely not an overall bad thing.Just different.

Audiovox SMT5600 Dumbphone
This phone is anything, but NOT smart. It is packed with many programs (InternetExplorer, InstantMessenger, MediaPlayer, PocketOutlook, etc) and features (Bluetooth, IR, camera, etc), but it is hard to learn and use:

1. The screen is too delicate. I am used to wearing my old Nokia cellphone in my pocket, but this Dumbphone will probably have to be replaced after a single scratch.

2. Because of the tall screen, the keys are smooshed in the lower tip of the phone, so it is hard to hold on to it when using keys. The keys are not tactile, and are too small for an adult.

3. Entering information with the keys is TORTURE because it's painfully slow and awkward! How about voice recognition for a change? It's one thing to use InstantMessenger on a PC with a full-size keyboard.. but why do I need it on a tiny cell-phone, when I can just call a person and talk!?! Because of the limited input capabilities, the Dumbphone makes a user feel like a dog that understands everything, but can't say anything -- can only bark.

4. The "thumbstick" is tricky. Frequently, when making a selection, it jumps up or down, and selects the wrong item.

5. The camera and camcorder are way too crappy. Indoor images are lifeless: gray and fuzzy.

6. There is no built-in help. I was not able to figure out how to lock the keys on my own. I am still unable find a place where I can see my own phone-number!

7. There is no audible feedback when key-lock is enabled. So you have to press the red button down for a couple seconds, then wait till the display changes, then release the red button. If you are on the go and can't look at the display, you can't be sure that the key-lock is enabled before you put the phone away.

8. If you have a voice mail, you can easily get it from the home screen, because there will be an extra line you can activate. Now, how do you call your mailbox when you don't have a message waiting??? Go figure.

9. In the power-saving mode, the screen is totally dark (unlike most cell-phones I've seen). If the key-lock is on, to see the current status, or just to check the time, you have to press the power key, which is intentionally small and is out of the way.

10. Without backlight, the screen is unreadable. My older Nokia phone was perfectly readable with only ambient light. Plus, I could always see the time, even when the key-lock was on.

11. Sometimes during normal use, the screen backlight turns off, and you can't see the damn thing on the screen. The keys continue to do some damage, but you can't see anything on the screen.

12. The stand-by time is only a third of a basic Nokia phone. If battery runs out and you don't carry a charger, you will lose not only ability to make calls, but also the ability to look up your contacts, appointments, etc.

13. I tried to browse my personal web-site, and it didn't work for some unknown reason: Alert. The page you are looking for cannot be found. OK.

14. The time is not synchronized with the cellular network. My Dumbphone is displaying 5:44AM, April 10-th, which is off by over a month! Why do I have to manually set the time?!? My 2-year old Nokia sync'd time automatically.

15. Accessibility "large font" feature only works for menus. The fonts on the home screen do *not* get bigger. This may matter to some people. Also, some combinations of background image and a color scheme result in white letters on white background, impossible to read.

16. I activated the security lock. This is what the display says as I unlock it:
--------------------------------------
This device is locked. Enter your device password and press the unlock softkey.
**07 An emergency phone number was entered. Press TALK to call. Or continue with the password.
--------------------------------------
An "emergency number"?? I thought I was just entering my secret code. This is freaking me out.

17. The phone and the digital service are overpriced -- in part due to folks like me who trade the Dumbphone for something usable and less expensive. So, if you would like to keep the Dumbphone, it will cost you an arm and a leg :)

The summary: the Dumbphone is packed with Windows software that you can't use, and it's less of a cellphone because of that.
... Read more

Simply put, the Siemens SX66 does it all. A full color display slides down to reveal an integrated QWERTY keypad, while integrated "wi-fi" and Bluetooth keep you on the cutting edge of connectivity. Powered by the Windows Mobile 2003 operating system and with support for corporate email accounts, this device is designed for maximum efficiency, wherever you are. It's the ultimate power tool for mobile professionals.

Design

Click the image to get a closer look at the SX66's features. View the rear of the unit in detail here.

The SX66 follows the standard form factor of the latest Pocket PC devices, with one major addition; as mentioned, a sliding QWERTY keyboard is hidden below the screen. A generous, 240 x 320 full-color touchscreen display dominates the face of the unit. Just below the display is a five-way selection button that allows you to navigate and control the Windows Mobile interface. Meanwhile, shortcut buttons positioned both above and below the screen offer quick access to your Outlook calendar, contacts, messaging, Internet Explorer and more. Alternatively, the device can be directly controlled with an included stylus that slides out of the rear of the SX66's case.

Under the hood, the SX66 sports a 400 Mhz Intel PXA263 CPU with 128 MB of RAM and 64 MB of embedded flash memory storage. The unit's SD IO memory slot supports additional flash-based memory so you can expand available storage. The Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC operating system is completely touchscreen-enabled and features advanced handwriting recognition that is compatible with all of the device's applications. There's a standard stereo 2.5mm headset jack, while USB data and charging is handled by the SX66's docking ports on the bottom of the device.

Calling Features Many of the SX66's calling features are integrated with the Windows Mobile operating system. For instance, the included Pocket Outlook software features a contacts list that is cleverly integrated with the phone's dialing functions. Meanwhile, the phone's handwriting recognition software can be used to dial numbers and enter contact information. The SX66's built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Polyphonic ringtones are available, as is a vibrating alert. Caller ID and call waiting are also supported. Lastly, the SX66's Bluetooth connectivity makes it easy to sync the unit with a wide range of handsfree, wireless headsets and car kits.

A generous toolset ships with the SX66's Windows Mobile 2003 software. Pocket Outlook includes to-do lists while pocket versions of Word and Excel are included so you can review and edit documents on the go. A calculator, alarm clock and voice memo recorder round out the tools package.

Entertainment The SX66 delivers the ultimate music experience. You can store MP3 files and easily exchange them with your PC or stream them from the internet. The included Windows Media Player application can also play videos for even more mobile entertainment.

The SX66's wallpapers and screensavers can be customized to suit your tastes. Windows Mobile and Java-based games are also supported.

Vital Statistics The Siemens SX66 weighs 7.41 ounces and measures 4.92 x 2.83 x .75 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of digital talk time, and up to 168 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM 800/GSM 900/GSM 1800/GSM 1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Great PDA - Phone sound issues
I recently migrated to this phone from a Treo 600 that had a mountain biking accident :-)

The SX66 (HTC is the ODM, "Blue Angel" is the model) is better than the Treo 600 in the following respects:
* More stable - No hung phones/frozen unit in 3 weeks of operation
* Better sound quality for other party - had lots of complaints regarding Treo 600
* WiFi - can't say enough about how handy this is
* Synchronization with Outlook actually works better than Palm Desktop/Hotsync.
* I can sync remotely with ActiveSync - this is also very handy
* Screen quality is better (roughly on par with Treo 650).No backlighting/sunlight visibility problems, either
* Speakerphone is louder and clearer than Treo.I actually use speakerphone mode a lot just to hear other party in noisy environments.
* Keyboard is more intuitive - keys are better placed.Also a slight negative - keyboard must be slid out for use and back when not in use (it's clunky to leave it out).
* Mic imparts less road noise in a car.When using my Treo in a car the other party complained bitterly and often hung up.No such problem with the SX66.

Negatives
* Sound volume is just too low - very hard to hear anyone in a car unless in speakerphone mode
* I haven't tried Bluetooth yet due to all the complaints I've read about.However, my phone did have the latest Bluetooth stack from Siemens (v1.1 Bluetooth), and I'll keep track of interfering signals such as 2.5GHz phones and 802.11b/g.
* Selecting phone number to call out is "clicky" - takes extra steps compared to Treo unless you leave the keyboard in the "deployed" position.The Microsoft Voice Dialing software ($39 or so) eliminates this hassle, but only works with wired headsets or direct speaking.Still, a big improvement over the extra clicking.
* GPRS and WiFi don't always come up in the order I would like, and switching between them is a little bit clicky (lots of steps).You can configure the phone to get around this, but that takes a fair bit of Windows Mobile expertise or RTFM.

Conclusion:
If sound quality/volume were better, this would be an outstanding phone.4-band lets me use it anywhere (I'll unlock this before trips to Asia), and I have all my contacts, all the time, and can sync from anywhere.If I can get Bluetooth to work properly with good volume control, I'll revise my rating to 5/5.

Siemens does not offer upgrades and drops support for phones
I owned the SX56.When it first came out, it was installed with Windows 2002.Months later all manufacturers offered the upgrade to Windows 2003.Most things you do with a Pocket PC phone require the latest version of Windows.Siemens pulled support for Windows 2003 while still selling the SX56.Now my PDA/phone is basically a big, square cell phone.You can do less and less with a Windows 2002 phone every day.
The bottom line is, Siemens has no honor and cannot be trusted.If you call support, they say "We don't offer support for Windows 2003, can I help you with anything else?"If you press them on the issue, they hang up the phone.It's unbelievable.

PDA is great - Phone quality is poor
Aside from locking up and needing rebooting twice in 2 months the PDA is fine, however the voice quality incoming and outgoing is less than quality... I am going back to my digital cell and keeping the PDA

Good for business use, not that great for consumers
The Siemens SX66 is a WIndows CE based Smartphone designed mostly for business usage.For Consumer purposes it is a bit of an overkill and is not particularly optimized for some entertainment purposes.

This review is written mostly with Business usage in mind (I use it with a Goodlink e-mail client) I also include some consumer comments at the end.

Screen and Input modes.
The SX66 includes a large screen that can fit more elements than other smaller screen phones.This is particularly useful to browse through e-mails.It gives you a choice of typing via a qwerty keyboard or through a virtual keyboard and your stylus.It includes many programmable keys that are mapped to many Windows applications, such as Explorer, e-mail, calendaring, tasks and phone answer and hang up.

Other useful tools: for talking you can use it as any phone talking, or use its wired headset (included) or use its speakerphone mode.It also has a built in camera and a built in voice recorder.

Business Applications
As many other Windows CE handhels (PDAs or smartphones) you can find many applications both for business as well as for consumer purposes.Coupled with an e-mail business client software (e.g. Goodlink) you can have Blackberry-like functionality as your e-mails, meetings and other corporate e-mail items can be pushed into your handheld via GPRS or WiFi. One nice thing about the SX66 vs. Blackberry is that the SX66 with the right software can open most MS Office attachments (and you can even modify some of them).

Using this phone for business apps (e-mail, calendar, et al) this phone is a great tool.Its large screen and its keyboard options allow for great e-mail reading and for composing short e-mails (or SMS messages).For large e-mails, honestly, your notebook is a much better tool.

Battery Usage / Power Options
Battery duration is good but not great for regular phone usgae, it will typically last for one day.If you use it heavily for e-mail or for PDA apps (e.g. taking notes) its battery life greatly diminishes to less than one day.There are many packages in the market so you can charge it in the middle of the day via USB, USB cradle, car charger or regular power adapters.The nice thing in any of them is that it charges really quickly. so can be back to full charge in less than 1 hr.

Networking options
The networking options are many and very useful.It can operate on quad-band GSM (it operates in most countries), it can hook to GPRS, WiFI and Bluetooth networks.It also has infrared connectivity to connect to other portable devices.GPRS is available in most GSM cellular networks, and it will give you pretty much ubiquitous access but at somehow slow speeds (it is good for e-mail clients, as they typically push text into the handhels), for faster access use WiFi and connect is the same networks you connect on your notebook.

Consumer usage
- Not as good performing video.I have tried a couple of times to play home videos (e.g. 30 sec shots taken with my camera) and it has basically stalled and taken long to recover.
- Not as good performing games, its video performance makes it unpractical.
- Built in camera lacks the quality and is below some lower cost phones.

PROS
- Large screen, larger than most phones in the market.
- Variety of input modes.
- Variety of tools.
- Pre-programmed buttons allow quick access to most useful functions.
- Variety of Wireless networks to connect to.
- Good-sized memory included, can be increased greatly using an SD-Card.

CONS
- Battery life is limited.Needs midday recharging if you use PDA or e-mail heavily trough the day.
- Included camera has very limited resolution, pictures come out with a lot of noise and its colors are not that great.
- Lack of EDGE networks support.
- A bit heavy and large format, you need to use its carrying case.
- Video playing is very poor.Don't even bother trying.

Good, PDA, OK phone
on the whole, I really like my SX66.The reception I get with Cingular (even after the takeover) is not quite what I got with my old AT&T phone, so I believe this is due to the phone itself.

For talking on, the quality is certainly acceptable, but by no means the best cell phone I've ever had.A hands free device is a good thing to have since the phone itself is rather bulky.

That brings us to the downsides:

* The included hands free microphone/headset broke within a month.
* The bluetooth headset I bought (Jabra BT250) has generates a pretty consistent amount of static if the phone is more than a foot or two from the headset.

Everything is functional, and because of the data capabilities I have to say I like the phone and wouldn't trade it in for another, but it'd be a definite 5 star device if they could iron out the bluetooth static issue.
... Read more

This great dual band, entry-level phone boasts features more often found on more expensive handsets. With support for multimedia messaging, mobile instant messaging, and Cingular MEdia Net wireless Internet services, this phone is anything but plain Jane. It's the perfect complement to Cingular wireless service.

Design The X427M sports a slim, sleek clamshell design with a large 128 x 160 color display with 65,000 colors. A stub antenna is placed on the top right side of the unit. Up and down buttons for volume control are placed on the left side. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. There's a standard jack on the top of the unit to accept universal hands-free headsets, while the phone's charging and data ports are placed on the bottom of the unit.

Calling Features The X427M features 40-chord polyphonic ringtones, and in addition to the built-in ringers you can download more from Cingular's MEdia service. A vibrate alert silently notifies you of incoming calls when you want to be discreet. The phone's internal memory lets you create an internal phone book of 500 alphanumeric entries. Caller ID, call forwarding, call waiting, three-way calling and other standard features help you more efficiently handle your phone conversations.

Messaging, Internet and Tools The X427M has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging and Internet connectivity. The phone features support for AOL Instant Messenger (Cingular messaging charges apply), and there's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Traditional text messaging, as well as picture and sound messaging are also supported by the phone. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

The phone supports the GPRS wireless data protocol, meaning that when used with a Cingular data plan and the phone's data port, the X427M can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the X427M including a calculator with currency converter, an alarm, a to-do list, and a calendar.

Imaging and Entertainment The X427M allows you to set screensavers, themes and wallpapers to suit your tastes. The phone is Java enabled, meaning it supports games written on the Java platform. The unit ships with three games and more are available via the Cingular MEdia service.

Vital Statistics The X427M weighs 2.80 ounces and measures 3.30 x 1.80 x .80 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 7 hours of digital talk time, and up to 216 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Avoid at all cost
This phone lasted two months before it the horrible reception forced me to get a new phone. What can I say cingular costs far too much for the terrible service.

DO NOT GET THIS PHONE

Good little phone.
I like the big screen.
Great color.
Great sound.
Sturdy.

I think this phone is quality.I like it.
I don't like the fact that it doesn't have a speaker phone or voice dialing, but it's a good little phone and I wouldn't change it.

Now I know why it was FREE!
This phone was great to start off with. But after about 3 1/2 months the phone started to drop calls every so often. Now 1 month later it is dropping calls very frequently. Sometimes with five bars the call just dissconects. I know it's not Cingular the Motorola v551 in the same exact spot is still crystal clear. Do your self a favor stay away from the x427m. If you buy Cingular try to get the v551 from www.cellularchoices.com and you will get a great quality phone for free! (P.S.-This phone shouldnt even have 1 star)

Great starter phone
I got this phone for my daughter as an added line on family plan(free from Cingular, because I bought the Motorola V551 from Amazon as the main phone line), and it is perfect for her use(she is 15.) Seems solid, very very lightweight, nice bright screen, good sound, and better signal than my motorola! The battery life is EXCELLANT! My motorola burns out before a day is over, hers goes for days. However, very litte features, which is ok for someone like her. No camera of course, but she didnt want one. Not very customizable. Cant change what is assigned to the buttons(like I can on my phone) and I hate how the middle and the right arrow buttons connect to media or the internet. I put an internet block on her phone from Cingular(customer service), but she was still able to access the media mall and was browsing ringtones before I realized, and made her stop! The data transfer costs!Comes with a few games, mine had one demo game. More wallpaper choices than mine as well. Cant view who's calling or the time from outside of phone when closed. We set the option to not answer when opened, so we arent answering calls we dont know who it is first. All in all, pretty nifty phone, simple, easy to use, one touch to write a text message, and other simple menu features.Buttons are flat, as are mine, but if looking at it(to type text message) not a problem, but if in a prompt command on a call, have to move it from ear to see what numbers I am pressing. All accessories are cheaper here at Amazon versus anywhere else.

Good, basic phone - missing some helpful features
I got this phone as a replacement for my venerable and trusty Siemens S46. I'll comment solely on -the phone- and not on the service (which has been fine).

Good points:
- Fantastic screen
- Good to excellent reception
- Fairly simple menu navigation* (note caveats below)
- Included applications, media, games, etc. are high quality
- Very thin and light, even with battery
- Excellent battery life (5-7 days on standby)

Bad points:
- The button configuration on this phone is very strange - maybe this is just due to the Cingular configuration, but I keep thinking the largest button (with the Cingular logo) should be "Dial" by default, when instead it is inexplicably mapped to flip over to GPRS mode.
- The phonebook lookup is -awful-.
- There is no copy to/from SIM card feature. This means that if you want to, say, copy phonebook entries without buying the USB cable, you have to enter them by hand.
- The headset jack is very hard to open and suffers from a loose connection and static.
- The keys have no raised dots to center yourself without looking at the phone - while hard to describe, this makes it very hard to dial the phone with one hand, something which I have been able to easily do with most other phones.
... Read more

With support for multimedia messaging, mobile instant messaging, and Cingular MEdia Net wireless Internet services, Samsung E317 is great for people who want to step into the next generation of handsets. It's also got dual color screens and a VGA camera-- a sweet combo for getting and sharing shots on the go.

Design

Click the image to get a closer look at the E317's features.

The E317 sports a slim, sleek clamshell design with a large 128 x 160 color display with 65,000 colors. A supplementary, 96 x 64 screen on the front of the cover also displays in brilliant, full color. With it, you can quickly see photos, images, time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. A stub antenna is placed on the top right side of the unit. Up and down buttons for volume control are placed on the left side, and there's also a button for quick access to camera functions. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. There's a standard jack on the top of the unit to accept universal hands-free headsets, while the phone's charging and data ports are placed on the bottom of the unit.

Calling Features The E317 features 40-chord polyphonic ringtones, and in addition to the built-in ringers you can download music and "supertone" enhanced ringtones from Cingular's MEdia service. A vibrate alert silently notifies you of incoming calls when you want to be discreet. The phone's internal memory lets you create an internal phone book of 500 alphanumeric entries. Meanwhile, ringer and picture ID lets you assign photos and ringtones to callers. The phone is also compatible with Cingular's "Fast Forward" call forwarding device, which enables you to effortlessly forward your wireless calls to your land line phone.

Messaging, Internet and Tools Powerful messaging and Internet capabilities are built into the E317. Support is built in for sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, sound and video via MMS messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in still and video camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. Instant messaging is also supported via AOL Instant Messenger and the phone ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols. There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

The phone supports the GPRS wireless data protocol, meaning that when used with Cingular's Wireless Internet Express data service and the phone's data port, the E317 can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the E317 including a calculator with currency converter, an alarm, a to-do list, a voice memo recorder, and a calendar.

Imaging and Entertainment Kick the fun up a notch with the E317's integrated VGA (640x480) camera, which includes a digital zoom, a self-timer, brightness control, and multi-shot ability for capturing fast action. You can even use the phone's external display as a viewfinder-- great for getting self portraits.

The E317 allows you to set screensavers, themes and wallpapers to suit your tastes. The phone is Java enabled, meaning it supports games written on the Java platform. The unit ships with three games and more are available via the Cingular MEdia service.

Vital Statistics The E317 weighs 3 ounces and measures 3.30 x 1.80 x .80 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.7 hours of digital talk time, and up to 298 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

solid choice
I replaced a high-end previous generation nokia with this phone based primarily on its small size.

The good:
*Size. This phone fits easily in my pocket. I had a tiny nokia and this phone was the only flip phone at the Cingular store that was nearly as narrow.
*Signal. I find the signal coverage to be slightly better on this phone than my nokia (despite cingular's advice to the contrary).
*Battery life. I go a few days between charges. The phone seems to charge quickly, too.
*Usability. I thought it would take time to get used to something other than my nokia but the menus were easy to use.

The OK:
*Camera. The camera is not great in low light, but is fine overall. One annoyance is the camera can be turned on using an external button. I've taken the occasional picture of my pocket. Also, you can't seem to get rid of the camera's shutter sound (I haven't looked that hard, but it wasn't obvious).
*Sound quality. I think sound quality is lower on this phone than on my old nokia. I can hear people fine, but there is a little bit of distortion, like you might hear if you turned your stereo up too loud. It seems to help to keep the volume down a little and/or to tilt the phone slightly away from my ear. Like most phones there are volume buttons on the side of the phone so its easy to adjust.
*Customization. I don't feel like I have as much control over ringing patterns, displays, etc. as I did on my nokia. Still, those are the kinds of things you get used to.

The bad:
There are really no deal-breakers for me on this phone. So far its been a good deal.

Overall a very capable phone. I'm enjoying it.

best
this phone is the best there is no PROBLEM WITH THE SPEAKERS!!!IT HAS SO MUCH WALL PAPER AND RINGTONES AND IT HAS A CAMERA

Excellent features and style. Definetely recommend
I'd have to say that i'm in love with this phone. I recently received it last week, and can't stop playing around with it. For starters, the external display on front of the folder is great. You can choose what color you want it to be, and it has a neat little service light on it as well. Once you open the folder, the screen size is pretty good. The buttons and layout are nothing differen than you average clamshell phone, but that's ok. The softkeys are nice. As for the features, the phone is incredible. Theres too many things you can do to write down, so I won't go into detail. However, let me just say that once you connect to Cingular's MEdia Net, you will be hooked. Lastly, as far as everyone talking about the poor sound quality, just buy the additional earpiece(probably best to get it in the 3 piece travel package) and you should be hearing fine again.

Eh.. A nice phone until you have to talk on it.
Okay, so I started reading reviews AFTER I purchased this phone. Seeing all of the "horrible sound quality!" comments, I was pretty nervous. And I had a reason to be. The sound quality on this phone is awful! I don't think it has anything to do with Cingular or reception, as I've never had problems with cingular before. I just can't hear anything on this phone and what I do hear is muffled and distorted. My friends are tired of me saying, "What did you say?" over and over again and they can't even hear me half the time. Also, I've had several instances of the phone "freezing up" on me. I'll have to remove the battery to get it to start working again.

It's a great looking little phone and the camera is pretty cool and fun to mess around with - but in the end, it is a phone. When you can't use a phone for it's main purpose, you have some problems. Samsung should have put a little more time and effort into the speaker instead of into all the little options that don't really matter much.

Should be taken off the market
Why Cingular continues to sell this phone is beyond me?Surely Samsung had to know what a terrible phone they were putting on the market.The main problem is clarity.There is so much distortion that I really have a tough time understanding what people are saying.AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!
... Read more

With a VGA camera, dual color screen, polyphonic ringtones, and support for multimedia messaging and Cingular wireless Internet services, the LG L1400 packs a lot of power into a sleek package.

Design The phone sports a clamshell design with a large 128 x 160 color display with 65,000 colors. The outside cover of the handset features a supplementary 96 x 96 full-color OLED display that can display picture IDs, time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The phone's VGA (640 x 480) camera is placed just above this display. Up and down buttons for volume control are placed on the left side. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. There's also a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets.

Calling Features The L1400 supports polyphonic ringtones as well as Cingular's "Super Tones" enhanced ringtones. With picture and ringer ID functions, you can assign pictures and ringers to your most common callers. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia service. For times when you want to be discreet, there's also a vibrate ringer mode.

Voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names, while the L1400's phone book will keep track of up to 255 contacts. The phone also supports Cingular's "Fast Forward" call forwarding device, which enables you to effortlessly forward your wireless calls to your land line phone.

Messaging, Internet and Tools The L1400 has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging and Internet connectivity. In addition to basic text and picture messaging support, the phone features the AOL Instant Messenger client for easy wireless chatting (Cingular messaging charges apply). There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Traditional text messaging, as well as picture and sound messaging are also supported by the phone. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

When used with a Cingular data plan and the phone's USB data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs. A number of handy software tools are bundled with the L1400 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator with unit converter, a notepad, a calendar and an alarm clock.

Imaging and Entertainment The L1400's VGA camera features a 4x zoom mode and a 9-shot multi-shot mode for capturing action scenes. Brightness and color balance adjustments are also possible.

The L1400 lets you set screensavers, themes and wallpapers to your tastes. Thephone is also Java enabled, meaning it supports games written on the Java platform. Games are available via the Cingular MEdia service.

Vital Statistics The LG L1400 weighs 3.35 ounces and measures 3.52 x 1.89 x .97 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.3 hours of digital talk time, and up to 220 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Best phone i have ever owned
This phone is amazing.What people are going to have to understand is that there will be and always will be problems or features the service provider has or the phone has...some of these are planned by the companies themselves...so you will buy another phone(a more expensive one)...ex. LG L1400 doesnt have speakerphone but the V551 does and the V551 doesnt have the second screen but the L1400 does....its all up to preference and the people who put these phones down should have looked at the features before they start purchasing expensive phones

If you like what you see in the description and the feature menu for this phone it is WELL worth the investment and so is the V551.These are two very exceptional phones and I recommend both of them.I however chose the LG phone simply b/c I wanted the second screen ( I did alittle homework...hm what do ya know.)

Oh and if you ever need a flashlight open the L1400 its pretty bright.

Poor phone menu and extremely poor sound
What is important for the phone?Of course, the basic functionality first.What is bad about this phone?

1.Phone Book navigation.If you have used SAMSUNG navigataion then that is the best.e.g. when you look at the phone book and keep pressing menu button it will scroll about 5 phones at a time.
2.Short cut to call someone.If you have to store a number at lets say 22 then you can not.Samsung has whole phone book numbered so that you can call just pressing 22 (or 55 or 9) for 2 second and it will dial the number for you.e.g. I was storing my first 10 best friends/family numbers at 1,2,3,5, 10,11,22,33,44,55,...etc so I can call at one touch.I don't use voice system.
3. Sound quality:Very low sound
4. Ring tone:Very low
5. How long did you talk?When you are talking and want to see how long you have talked, you can not see because LCD turned off.
6. Buttons not that much slick.Little hard to press.Samsung has the best slick button to touch.E.g. dell keyboard vs other key borad.
7. Flip phone: I had Samsung N200.Bought 4 yrs ago for 250.That was a flip phone but advantage was you don't have to open cover unless you want to talk someone.So, FLIP PHONE ARE ONLY GOOD IF IT ALLOOWS to navigate the functionality without opening the cover.So, May be NOKIA is the way to go with.
8. Camera memory - Too less.So useless.
9. Battery life - Ok.

So, Finally I would buy a phone that has
1.Best navigation
2.No flip unless it allow to see the activity from outside itself.
3.Best sound quality
4.Vibrate mode as well.
5.Camera - Forget it.Keep credi card size camera if you need one which may have same or batter quality.
6.No free phone.Get what you want by paying and keep it for long period.

I hope this helps to buy your next phone.

Average phone!
When I first saw this phone I bought it, not knowing the the specs and everything before.After a couple of days finding out the features and how-to's I came up with the following verdict.

Cons:
1)Lacks features (example: speakerphone, music creator)
2)Unable to use voice/sound recording as ring tone
3)Battery life is less than average
4)Comes with average ringtones, pictures, and only 1 game
5)Unable to remove the word "Cingular" from the front screen (so the picture you set can be view without obstruction)

Conclusion:
I bought one and I'm still going to keep it, just because it is a LG flip phone.If you just want a cool looking phone just for talking, I recommend this one.But if you want all the gadgets and gizmos to the maximum, this one is not for you.

Not too impressed
I'll say upfront that I am often a negative person. I'll try to be fair. I've had this phone for about 2 weeks now and I haven't found anything I really like about it. Here are the good and the bad (not in that order):
Cons:
-On the menu 3 of the 9 icons will take you online. And you will get charged unless you're quick on the cancel button. The center button on the joystick will also connect you to the net, so don't push it. It seems like Cingular convinced LG to make the phone this way so they could trick you into using their data service.
-The alarm is under "My media" (???) and then "tools". Why media??? Because they had nowhere else to put it. And you better be quick when setting the alarm, because if you stop pushing buttons for about 2 seconds you'll end up at the main screen and have to go back through the menus to get to it again.
-No speakerphone. And the regular speaker isn't that loud.
-Not much storage space for pictures.
-The included ringtones are annoying.
-Sometimes the screen turns off (goes black) right after a call. I wouldn't mind except I don't get to see how many minutes I used. Maybe my phone is defective?
-You usually have to hit the end call button twice to end the call. 4 minutes and 58 seconds... end call... 59 seconds... end call...oops, too late...they got you for another full minute.
-Probably a cingular problem, but I'll have 3 bars for a signal when I'm dialing, but as soon as I hit "call" it drops to one or zero bars. This happens 75% of the time. It also doesn't pick up calls sometimes and notifies me of voicemail 45 minutes later.
-Not many options to customize menus, colors, etc. Oh well... I don't care about this.
-The box it comes with says "drive safe" or "drive courteous" or something like that... but this phone doesn't even come with a headset. If they're pushing safety they should include one like most phones. Maybe they think people won't use their phone at all while driving if they don't give them a headset? Doubtful.
-You can't change the profile (ring volume, vibrate, silent mode, etc.) without openning the phone.
-Battery life isn't great.

Pros:
-Battery life isn't great.... but it could be a lot worse.
-External screen for picture ID, taking pics of yourself is cool.
-Infared port for transfering files is great. This might be the single saving grace of the phone. You don't see this much outside of a Nokia.
-The phone is light and pretty small. It also seems to be built fairly well.
-The price is right.

All in all, it's okay for the price. I might recommend a Nokia instead. And I'd recommend Verizon instead of Cingular if you live in the Pacific Northwest. Or pretty much anywhere west of the Mississippi for that matter.

just average..
Very short battery life. 18-20 hrs on standby. Make sure the city you live in has good coverage. Amazon said there was no coverage on the city I live in. Two other retailers said otherwise. Big mistake. I hardly get one bar at all times. It only works when I'm at work, 15 miles up north. Amazon claims there is no coverage there either, but this time they were wrong. Plan on buying extra ringtones and wallpapers since the phone has a very limited amount. Very nice and sleek looking phone though. That is not good enough to give it anymore stars. If you go with cingular and you want a decent priced(or free maybe?) phone with a plan, go with the sony-ericsson one.
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With video playback, gaming, multimedia messaging and a VGA camera with digital zoom, the Motorola V220 is an affordable and powerful way to get in on all the mobile fun. It's the perfect companion to Cingular wireless service. What's more, it's a quad-band phone with global coverage support.

Design

Click the image to get a closer look at the V220's features.

The phone features a sleek clamshell design with a large 128 x 128 color display with 65,000 colors. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary 96 x 32 blue monochrome display that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The VGA camera lens is housed below this display. A stub antenna is placed on the top right side of the unit. Volume buttons are placed on the left side, as is a USB port for data connectivity. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. There's a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets on the bottom of the handset, next to the phone's charging port.

Calling Features The V220 allows you to assign pictures to your most common callers. It also supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia service. There's even an included application, MotoMixer, that enables you to mix your own ringtones.

Speed dialing, which allows you to call pre-programmed numbers with one button is built in, as is a vibrating alert. A built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names.

Messaging, Internet and Tools The V220 features support for instant messaging applications (Cingular messaging charges apply). There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Traditional text messaging, as well as picture and sound messaging (MMS) are also supported by the phone. When used in combination with the phone's built-in camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. iTap text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the V220 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator with currency converter, a calendar and an alarm clock.

Imaging and Entertainment The V220's USB connectivity can be used to transfer pictures, sounds and graphics to the phone's 1.8 MB memory from your PC. Screensavers, themes and wallpapers can be set to your tastes. The V220 is Java enabled, meaning it supports games and application downloads written on the Java platform. The phone ships with a single game, Bejeweled, and additional games are available via the MEdia service. For extra gaming fun, the phone is haptics enabled, meaning the phone's vibrate system is activated by crashes or other events in games. The V220 also supports MPEG4 video playback. Load video clips from your PC or download them from a wireless web provider and enjoy video on the go.

The phone's built-in camera features VGA (640x480) resolution and a 4x digital zoom for getting great shots on the go.

Vital Statistics The V220 weighs 3.76 ounces and measures 3.29 x 1.73 x .94 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 7.2 hours of digital talk time, and up to 380 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

A little workhorse
We were moving to the greater Seattle area so we purchased a couple of V220 cell phones.They have proven to be little workhorses, but if I had to do it again, I would have up graded for better phones.

Don't get me wrong, we have no complaints for the price we paid for them.But we simply underestimated how much we were going to use our phones, and being relatively new to cell phones, we did not know what to look for in a new phone.

A pleasant surprise was the calendar.I was able to program in my appointments and as a result, rarely missed an appointment.On the downside, we are a little disappointed in its ability to receive signal.The picture option is great, but the quality of its pictures when compared to upgraded models is very poor.By the way, email me if you have figured out a way to download your pictures to your PC.I had no complaints about battery life (two days on a single charge), until I had to use it for my business (resulting in using 2000 minutes a month)I have to recharge my phone midday.Other salesmen using upgraded phones go all day on a single charge.

Would I buy this phone again, probably not.But it does make a good kids phone.So if you got some teens or preteens that are begging for a cell phone, this is the phone for them.As for me, I will probably upgrade very soon.

Great except for...
Bad things first:
The first is the voice recognition is terrible. Sometimes it won't accept what you say. Other times it brings a completely different name--not even close to what you asked for.
The second thing is the text messaging software is archaic. It's too hard to navigate.
On the good side--the clarity and battery life are great. This is pretty much what a cell phone should make a priority and Motorola does a good job here. the styling is fine, the phone seems solidly build (in China, no less!). So, it gets 3 stars.

Not worth
I bought this phone a week back. Lot of dropped calls and there is no way one can add home/mobile/work phone numbers for one entry in address book. You can add multiple phone numbers but there is no way one can differentiate which is mobile/work/home phone. So i am going back to my old Sony Ericson.

This phone is terrible
I have had this phone for 6 months and it has been nothing but trouble.I have Cingular service and they have replaced this phone 3 times for me - with the same phone - V220.It drops calls EVERY time I try to use it.It is really frustrating.Now they are telling me to turn it off every day for 3 minutes in order to receive upgrades... this isn't working either.I am now looking to BUY a Nokia phone.I never had any problems with my old Nokia phone.

I love this phone!
This phone is great!....it's compact, feels solid, and has great reception.Yes, the screen is SLIGHTLY smaller that a few other phones but if you want a phone to actually make and receive calls, this is a great phone...What I especially appreciate about this phone is the volume in loud areas....I got rid of my previous phone, an LG brand phone, because its battery did not hold a charge, it often made me restart it before I could make a call after exiting a building, and because it had low volume...The Motorola phone is plenty loud and has great reception.Some people complained about the lack of included ring tones.Well, that's a valid complaint, but ALL Motorola phones are like that...spend the $1.99 to buy the ring tone you really want from Cingular - big deal....If you want a phone to perform as a phone, then get this one.
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At first glance, the LG F9100 looks like just another candybar style handset. A slide-out QWERTY keyboard and advanced features like support for wireless internet and advanced messaging make this phone far from ordinary, though. Users who want to craft text messages will find much to like in this little companion.

Design The F9100's face features a large, 65,000-color screen with 128 x 160 pixels. The full QWERTY keyboard slides out of the right side of the phone, which automatically flips the display to read horizontally. Secondary selection buttons above the keyboard allow the phone to be operated in this horizontal orientation. Other design features include a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets and a five-way center button that controls most of the phone's on-screen menus. An internal antenna keeps the F9100 sleek and compact.

Calling Features The phone's internal phone book can accommodate up to 255 contacts for quick retrieval of numbers, email addresses and other info. The phone supports polyphonic ringtones, as well as vibrating alerts. Voice dialing lets you call your favorite contacts by simply speaking their names. A ringer ID function allows you to set specific ringers to certain callers.

Messaging and Internet Support for basic text messaging and robust multimedia messaging are built into the F9100, as are client applications for AOL Instant Messenger, YAHOO! Messenger, and ICQ. There's also a built-in web browser for Cingular MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Traditional text messaging, as well as picture and sound messaging are also supported by the phone. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

A number of handy tools ship with the F9100, including an alarm, a calendar and a calculator with currency converter. There's also a voice memo application for recording quick notes or numbers.

Imaging and Entertainment Because the F9100 supports Java applications it is compatible with many Java-based games. The MEdia service offers a wide range of game and Java application downloads. Downloadable ring tones, screensavers and wallpapers are also available.

Vital Statistics The LG F9100 operates on the GSM 850/1900 MHz frequencies. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of digital talk time, and up to 12 days of digital standby time. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Cingular customers can opt-in to the American Idol TXT-n-Win Sweepstakes for a chance to win $50,000, a trip to the American Idol finals, or a free ring tone!

Reviews (4)

Interesting
I got the chance to check this phone out for a week and it was pretty sweet. The QWERTY keyboard was awesome! I love texting people so this was a huge plus. The downside was that you couldn't use the keyboard for everything.Some features wouldn't allow you to have it open.The features were decent and the call quality was normal.

NO email, bad bad User Interface, rattle-tastic slide
so i have had this phone for 4 or 5 days now, and i am *trying* to like it, but i am know i am going to send it back.

i can live with no camera, memory slot, bluetooth, etc. i txt quite a bit, dont really mobile IM, but figured maybe i would start, and it seems NOT A STRETCH AT ALL, that i would use THE most popular application on the Internets.. its called Email... maybe some of you have heard of it?

well, apparently not the folks somewhere between LG/Cingular/f9100 marketing and decision making teams. i have had phones for years that do email. doesnt need to be a full-blown app like outlook, but email on a mobile, especially one that does mobile IM seems pretty no-brainer as likely to be wanted. if you were thinking that a phone with 4 protocols of mobile IM capability and a slide out freakin keyboard would have included some email ability, even in the form of a pay-for 3rd party app, to do email you would be wrong. True, i can send email as XXXNNNYYYY@my.cingular.com, but thats no use to me, or i suspect, the billion people whoalready have an email address.

i also have a moto mpx220 from cingular, and it comes pre-configured for like 5 major ISP's email, and a great wizard to walk you thru a outlook/imap/pop3 account. i used it all the time and thought "great, now i can use a keyboard for simple stuff like email, and not have to drop $400 on a treo."

also, the slide rattles, opens in your pocket, there is NO WAY to turn off alert tones, poor font choices so it looks like a cheapo computer from 1991, you CANT use the keyboard on all the phone's INCLUDED applications, like its openwave WAP browser!!! surely someone between LG and Cingular could have added a middleware to hook the keyboards APIs to the Openwave text input APIs so that i could type in URLS with the INCLUDED keyboard rather than than tripple-tapping the phonepad.

sorry Lucky Goldstar, i want to like this phone, but please hire an Interface Designer, not just engineers. example, how about the Inbox saying "Inbox(2)" when i have messages instead of saying "Inbox" all the time. my phone from 2000 did that!

physically, the phone is pretty alright (despite the slide issue), so maybe there will be a firmware upgrade that just starts over from a software point of view and evolves this thing from barely ok (if txt and IM are all you ever use, and i KNOW that that is not true of even 17 year olds) to a pretty rawkin little txter/IM'er/emailin' sidekick fighter,

but thats just me lookin on the bright-side.

-mario

So near, Soooooooo FAR....
Looks very cool and exciting at first glance.Great color display. I've had this phone for about a month now, and wish I hadn't forked over the $150 bucks.

The phone keys are too small... you have to push with the very tip of your finger to operate them. The screen is great as is the slide out keyboard... but forget about any simple email or web browsing using the slideout keyboard. It is not supported !! How dumb is that? This great sliding keyboard, but it is only used for IM and data entry for the phone book.Anything else and you need to use the old multiple key pressing for alpha characters.

Oh yeah..the documentation... stinks, there are several pretty icons that show up on the screen for which there is no legend. And especially around the use and setup of different networks, where good documentation would be helpful, it is non-existant.

Add this to the annoyance of having it sliding open all the time in your pocket, or while you are using it...there whould be some way of locking it shut. well, I am sorry I purchased this phone.

Eh....nothing to write home about
The slide keyboard kept sliding open in my pocket which was awkward, and this phone is uncomfortably thick. And it claims to have a wide range of Java games available, but when I went to d/l some new games, there were only about 6 available. 6 is not wide range.
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Billed as an entry-level phone, the Motorola v180 is actually a feature rich black beauty with quad-band global coverage capability. Instant messaging, MP3 ringtones, dual displays, USB connectivity and gaming support are all here-- a significant step up from entry level phones of the past. It's the perfect companion to Cingular Wireless service.

Design The phone features a sleek clamshell design with a large 128 x 128 color display with 65,000 colors. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary 96 x 32 monochrome display that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. A stub antenna is placed on the top right side of the unit. Up and down buttons for volume control are placed on the left side. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. A USB-capable data port is housed on the unit's top edge. There's a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets on the bottom of the handset, next to the phone's charging port. Face plates are available so you can create the look you're after on the phone's outer casing.

Calling Features The V180 supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls. You can also assign pictures and ringers to your most common callers. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia service. There's even an included application, MotoMixer, that enables you to mix your own ringtones.

Speed dialing, which allows you to call pre-programmed numbers with one button is built in, as is a vibrating alert. A built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names.

Messaging, Internet and Tools The V180 has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging and Internet connectivity. The phone features support for ICQ, AOL and Yahoo! instant messaging applications (Cingular messaging charges apply). There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Traditional text messaging, as well as picture and sound messaging are also supported by the phone. iTap text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the V180 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a notepad, a calendar and an alarm clock.

Imaging and Entertainment The V180's USB connectivity can be used to transfer pictures, sounds and graphics to the phone's memory from your PC. Screensavers, themes and wallpapers can be set to your tastes. The V180 is Java enabled, meaning it supports games and application downloads written on the Java platform. Games are available via the Cingular MEdia service.

Vital Statistics The V180 weighs 3.26 ounces and measures 3.43 x 1.75 x .91 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.83 hours of digital talk time, and up to 275 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

If I disuade at least one consumer from buying this piece of
junk, I will be happy.
Honestly, this is the worst tool I've ever come across. The casing is cheap plastic which lets in dust obscuring the exterior number/time display (and that display is just about the only useful thing on this phone.) You will be swabbing out the display almost daily.
It stores only the last ten numbers youreceive or dial; and will also list calls you miss as "received"
accessing your address book requires pressing a sequence of numbers/keys whereas the last two phones i've had only required one.
The microphone/earpiece frequently experience feedback and echo.
I received this phone on feb. 14 and didn't even make it to april 15 before I started experiencing problems.
I also hear that the display frequently goes out. I have not experienced that personally, but I don't doubt it.
the battery length is hit and miss. sometimes i am able to go days without recharging. sometimes it's every other day. and i have extremely routine phone usage.
Please....please save yourself the aggrivation and do not buy this phone. I might also caution you away from Cingular services. I loved AT&T. Now that they merged with cinular, it's been nothing but a nightmare.
I never wanted cingular service and I still do not want cingular service.
stick with phones by samsung or (my preference) nokia.

Don't bother... waste of money and rise in blood pressure.
This phone is almost worthless with cingular service.Shortly after I got it, it started dropping calls regularly, even when I was stationary.Signal strenght would frequently go from full strength on standby to minimal when I made or answered a call.All I can think of is that it is cingular's service which sucks, since a friend of mine has the same phone on T-Mobile with no problems on signal strength.

Either go with a different company, or a better phone(don't bother with the freebies from cingular), or keep a VERY close eye on signal strength during the first 30 day trial period.If you wait too long, you'll have to deal with Cingular's less than stellar customer service, where the best trouble shooting they can come up with is "You are in a low signal strength area" even when full strength shows on the dispaly screen.

Needless to say, I haven't been pleased with the phone's performance, so I can't recommend it with cingular.If you decide to go with the same phone w/ different carrier, then I would say it's a good basic phone.Easy to use.The speaker phone is great for when you don't have hands-free kit handy, and the display is bright enough.Doesn't come with many frills, though.No games (only one trial game) and only basic ringtones.All in all, it's a nice phone, just $h**ty service.

The cons far outnumber the pros
There are too many good reviews of this phone so I felt I had to add one more against the V180. If you can afford it, skip this phone.

Before I go further into the review, I should say that my last phone was a Sony Ericsson T39m, which was top of the line back in 2002 and went through a lot of torture during the 3 years since. Because of advances in technology, I expect a cheap phone today to at least come close to matching a 3 year old phone. The V180 comes nowhere close to that. I should also qualify my review by saying that I have tested many family and friends' phones to confirm that I'm not being overly demanding.

The Good:
1. Aesthetics - The phone looks sleek and modern.
2. Size - It fits nicely in my pocket.
3. Speakerphone - Having this extra has been extremely useful, especially when in the car.
4. Shortcuts - The phone has a shortcuts menu where you can add shortcuts to just about anything in the phone. I set this to one of the programmable buttons to easily swicth between the Loud, Loud/Vibrate, and Silent profiles.
(...)

The Bad:
1. Navigation: The menus are very counterintuitive. Ex: why are tools under settings?
2. Putting it on silent: You cannot easily set the phone to silent. My T39m only required 2 clicks, which includes any menu navigation. The V180 on the other hand,, requires 11 clicks! The only way to shorten this is to use the programmable buttons and/or shortcuts.
3. Calculator: Unless you have a lot of patience, you will never use it. All of the functions (including the decimal and the "equals") are placed in a menu that you must scroll through. Calculating something as simple as a tip can be very tedious.
4. Multiple Entries: You must store each number separately, even for the same name.
5. Build quality: My T39m survived liquid spills, impacts against walls and concrete, falls from several feet high, being sat on and stepped on and crushed by solid objects - all with merely a few scratches. Treat the V180 with much, much more care. However, at this price, you can't complain.

The Ugly (these are VERY bad):
1. Memory: Why Motorola designed the phone this way boggles my mind. Your phone can store information in two places, the phone memory and the SIM. My T39m stored my information on the phone memory and I could back up the information to the SIM. On the V180, you can only have your information either on the phone OR the SIM, otherwise, the information will show up twice. So you will see your friend's cell number twice in your address book, once from your phone memory, once from your SIM, and changing one will not update the other. This means that you have to choose between being able customize entries (such as ring tones and categories, which can only be done with entries stored on the phone) or keeping your information safe and easily portable. You can't do both.

2. Battery Life: If you like to talk, do not even think of using this phone. The battery life is absolutely pathetic, even after accounting for the smaller size of the phone and the color screen. I have a talkative girlfriend, lots of family, several clients, and my cell phone is my only phone. The V180 will sometimes give up before the end of the day. It definitely won't make it through a late-night outing. I had many more clients when I had the T39m and thus had a much heavier toll on battery life. Yet the T39m, with its 3-year old battery, still lasted 3 days.

In conclusion, I will actually try to repair the minor damage on my T39m. Any phone that makes me cringe and cry for a 3 year old phone with not even a color screen is not worth the trouble.

That being said, if you just want the cheapest phone you can get in a small formfactor and sleek design, then this phone might be OK, as long as you don't talk much. I'm still waiting for a phone/PDA with Wi-Fi, which is why I got the V180 to begin with.

Nice phone
Overall I am happy with this phone. I got it with Cingular service and I'm Columbus, Ohio. It's got all the basic features, plus a few I wasn't expecting. I have had few problems with dropped calls, and interestingly enough, the only dropped calls I experience are mobile-to-mobile calls with a friend of mine who's also on Cingular. Other than that, reception has been fine.

What I love:
1. Speakerphone - when I use it the people that i'm talking to say it sounds fine, and they sound fine on my end.
2. Programmable buttons - there's only 2, but once you program them, what they are programmed with appears at the bottom of the screen. I put in the 2 features I use most - voice dialing and audio (changing ring tones and volume)
2. Voice activated dialing - this is my favorite feature. I programmed one of the buttons with this. All I have to do is hit the button, say the name, and it dials. It's connected to the address book, so you enter someone's information, then "train" the phone to recognize your voice saying their name, and that's it. I love it because now I never have to go to my address book or use the speed dialing feature.
3. Good ring tones and there's a pretty good variety already on the phone. I can also attach different ring tones to people in my address book.

What I don't love!:
1. Battery life - I seem to be recharging it every 3-4 days and I'm not constantly on the phone - maybe 3-4 calls a day.
2. I really hate the address book - you have to have a separate entry for every phone number, so if someone has a cell, work phone, home phone, and pager, then you have to have 4 entries for that person. It's a pain because you have to scroll through all those entries when you're going through the address book. Most people I know have at least 2, so all their names appear twice in the list. I've overcome this by programming voice dialing for my most frequently dialed numbers.

I've had this phone for about 2 months. I paid $10 for it with service activation, so I feel like I got a pretty good deal. I'd recommend it.

The first AND last Motorola I have and will ever own
I bought this phone in Russia, from Megafon, as a mean of communication with my family in the states while being overseas. The first two weeks I owned the phone it was absolutely flawless, with amenities galore and overall very sleek and good looking. I have owned several mobile phones, but this was the first Motorola. I do not consider myself picky about phones, simple functionality suffices just fine - I don't need all the fireworks that come with so many phones, so the V180 looked great for me, a student on a limited budget. Aside from enjoying the option of speakerphone, something I have never had on a mobile, this phone is a complete piece of garbage. For the past month now, I have been unable to dial any phone number whatsoever - everytime I even attempt to do so the phone freezes, the backlight turns off, then goes to a black screen, and finally defaults back to the main background saying "No Service" - after which a few seconds pass and it goes back to normal with full signal. I do not make many phone calls, as airtime is very expensive here, so I was able to get by with text messages locally and receiving incoming calls for a while, but that is ridiculous for owning a phone that you'd think would function! Why would you purchase a phone that you can't call outbound on? Should I want to dial a number, there is no possible way to do so, no way around it - through the phonebook, recent call lists, and even directly dialing the number on the keypad. The same goes for simply accessing my phonebook, if I attempt to edit the name of a contact in my book, it goes through those same stages and leaves me stranded, like usual.

As my first Motorola, I was excited to purchase something that has the reputation of being high quality, but such a worthless device may as well be branded 'Garbage' as it is simply nothing better. You will regret purchasing this phone, but certainly not as much as I do, because there is no possible way for me to return it. The remaining months I am here and stuck with this phone, I will have to text someone and have them call me if I want to talk with them. I just hope that I never need to make an emergency call! Thanks alot Motorola!
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Overview Compatible with Cingular cell phone service, the Nokia 6010 is an economy phone that also happens to include quite a few nice features, such as including GPRS high-speed data download, MMS, SyncML, Java-compatibility, and voice dialing, all 96x65 pixel, 4096-color LCD screen.

Calling Features Used simply as a phone, the 6010's features include vibrating alert, custom ring tones, voice dialing and voice menu commands, and a 500-entry phone book capacity with 6 numbers per name. Nokia also supports TTY/TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf), and hearing aid support for the Nokia LPS-3 Loopset (adapter and Loopset sold separately).

Messaging and Internet: The picture messaging and MMS capabilities built in to the 6010 enable users to send, edit, forward, and receive image, text, audio, and video messages over the wireless Internet, to and from compatible phones or PCs. You'll also get instant messaging capability, messaging templates, and predictive text assistance. Beyond messaging, the 6010's Internet connectivity lets you access online services such as stock quotes, road directions, airline information, entertainment, and more. You can also download Java applications (version J2ME) to add additional capabilities to your phone, and high-speed data transfer and download round out the package.

Organizer: The 6010 provides standard organizer features including a calendar with up to 500 events, a to-do list, and more. You can also transfer this data to your PC via the included SyncML software.

Fun and Games: For fun, the 6010 provides customizable polyphonic ring tones, graphic displays, screen savers, and more. You'll also get four games in addition to the Java games you can download from the Web: Backgammon, Bowling, Air Glide, and Sky Diver.

Vital Statistics: The Nokia 6010 weighs 3.92 ounces and measures 4.68 x 1.97 x 0.90 inches. Its Lithium Ion batteries are rated at up to 5.5 hours talk time, and up to 240 hours standby time.

Phone book with up to 500 contacts, with up to 5 numbers and 3 text entries per contact

Personalize your phone with 8 different color schemes

Includes phone, wall charger, SIM card and user documentation.

Reviews (11)

Good basic phone, excellent reception
Pro: Just a good basic "stick" phone like everyone else is saying, and it has great battery life (at least mine does), and a nice user interface -- easy to setup the address book. I'd buy it again.

Con: (1) Very "hot" magnetically -- will make LOUD pops, hums, chirps and squeals on any nearby powered speakers (hey -- you can tell when a call is coming in!), will jiggle nearby CRT monitors. Much more than any other phone I've owned. It's like it's really trying hard to reach out!
(2) Display very hard to read in ambient light -- and you have to push a button to bring up the back-light, then "undo" whatever you did by pushing the button. This phone does NOT need a color display -- my LCD wristwatch is easily readable in most any light, but not this phone!
(3) Buttons not well placed -- especially the upper two "soft" buttons.

a comparison with the Nokia 3560
I got this phone because they were offering a promo 1000 anytime minutes (comparable to the Nation 450 plan otherwise) on the national GSM network because i'm such a good customer, and I wanted to jump on the GSM bandwagon soon so that when they started getting rid of TDMA towers, i could accrue more benefits by having a plan for longer.The phone is almost exactly like my TDMA Nokia 3560 phone. Just as an intro, i've mostly had Nokia stick phones.

PROS: (compared to the NOkia 3560.None really.I now have nation wide no roaming versus the previous regional plan, but my peak time is no longer 7AM-8PM.It has more web browsing capabilities (which i don't do from my phone), and I believe that you can download music, wallpapers, and games, although you couldn't do it with the 3560.I've gone through 3 Nokia stick phones, and the main reason i chose this one over the samsung camera E317 flip phone for $50 was because i have extra batteries, AC adaptors, earphone, car adaptor, and case from previous Nokias.Oh yeah, you can also display the DATE as well as the time on this phone, which is useful for me, because i wouldn't know the month without a digital watch, which i don't wear.

CONS:
1)the buttons are pretty hard to push, especially the ones near the top.The "send" and left "choice.?" button are way too close, and so are the "end call" and right button.Exactly how similar are these phones?Well, i jsut switched the faceplates to use my old 3560 phone faceplate, and it works fine.
2)Couple of reviews mentioned a hollow sound heard by the person you're talking to.i noticed that whereas the 3560 has a hole in the case near the microphone, the 6010 does not! Not sure how much difference this will make - can't really make a good comparison, because it's 2 different networks.
3)Had a discussion with my friend today, and we were lamenting that cell phone companies may purposefully not give you a regular sounding ring, so that you'll have to purchase one.Yes, the 6010 doesn't really have any traditional rings.i prefer sounds that are a little bit low in pitch, but good volume, and definitely not melodious or cutesy, and there just isn't any that fits that criteria in this phone.
4)earpiece too loud - I'm somewhat paranoid about EM radiation, so i use the headset whenever possible, but even at the lowest volume setting, it's just TOO LOUD.i have to keep telling the other person to speak more softly.i've been holding the earpiece up near my ear with my hands to counteract this, but that kind of defeats the point of it being hands-free.even without the ear piece, the phone itself is very loud.i have to hold it far from my ear, which allows random strangers to hear what we're taling about.in the 3560, there was an "equalizer" function that you could set the base volume to be lower to begin with, and change the volume from that base.not available in 6010.I'm actually thinking of getting the crappiest earpiece i can find that mutes the volume somewhat.
5)also not in this phone is the voice recorder function, which i didn't really use, but it was fun.

All in all, i'm not that unhappy with this phone.i don't really like flip phones, and i can preach volumes on the durability of these nokia stick phones (ran over my 2nd nokia phone - LCD messed up, but otherwise working fine).My only big beef is the conversation being too loud...I dunno, maybe i have sensitive ears or something.or maybe the new genearation screwed up their ears with loud music or heavy use of headphones turned on too loud, and nokia is adapting to the times.(kind of like movie theaters nowadays, it seems like...)

after all, i don't think that my hearing got better as i got older, right?

Meets Basic Requirements
Yes!
You can talk with this phone. It has a decent reception. Extremely big fonts which even blind people can see and is so big it is hard to lose it. The battery on mine sucks though...I need to watch it if I talk for more than two hours at a time:) With no additional features...this phone is awesome as it won't keep you occupied and not perform well on your job. I had a sony ericcson before and man, that was something to own...I checked out my cousin's Motorola V600 and it was SO USER UNFRIENDLY when compared to a basic Sony Ericcson T610. The camera and video recording functions were amazing on it though. So, if you just wanna talk and not worry about your phone (except for the charging bit though), buy the 6010, but if you want to take pictures, record videos and not worry about using your phone to talk, then go for the V600. Hope my review was useful.

Washes just fine in the washer!
In today's day and age, it's becoming the normal thing for kids to have cell phones, so I wanted to get that part out before I had bad remarks added to my comment here.I have a ten year old daughter and she uses this Nokia 6010 phone with the KIC prepaid plan so the two of us can stay in touch while she's at her activities, friends' houses, or out in the neighborhood since 2-way radios only go so far.One of the things I didn't want for her was a clip to attach this to her pants for the fear of losing her phone.So she keeps it in her pants pocket.Then it happened.I thought I was going to faint at first because I had to pay $100 for this phone since it wasn't a contract she's using it for.She left the phone in her pants pocket and in the washer it went.After a full super wash with All Clean and Clear and a bit of Snuggle's fabric softner, I'm sure the phone is quite clean now.We realized it was missing when I called it and it kept telling me the customer was unavailable.Then she said those words, "Mom, did you take the phone out of my pocket, because I left it in there."

My own personal experience of dropping a cell phone in the toilet, I just knew this phone was a goner, but I had hope.I took the phone apart and let it dry over night, put it back together, and can you believe this phone still works like new???The Sim card wasn't even damaged!!!

So now that we know it washes up good, how about the rest of the phone?It comes preloaded with several ringtones, which none sounded like Ciara as my daughter wanted, so we downloaded a few from the free ringtone site we use.Ah, see?It DOES have internet capabilities!It also has a few games to play, but the Bowling is so loud, I at times want to smash it, haha, but she has learned how to turn off the volume.The candybar style phones, such as this one, are so much easier to slip into a pocket or one of those teeny booper purses she uses than the flip phones, so I feel this phone was perfect for her.It doesn't have a camera on it or anything, but just the basics.If you're looking for a phone just to talk on, this one will work fine.I've used it once myself to test it out and the sound is crystal clear which is hard to find in some brands.You can buy interchangeable face plates for it or leave it black.Overall, it's a good little phone and I do not regret my purchase.

Not worth the money (and it only cost $20)
I recently switched from T-Mobile to Cingular and I loved my little Samsung R225 phone.The only problem was the service area prevented me from using the phone in my house.I went to a few different places and everyone told me that Nokia was the way to go if I wanted really good reception.Okay, I took the bait.Instead of taking the free Sony Eriksson phone I paid the extra $20 and got the Nokia 6010.What a mistake.The phone has a hallow sound to it.It's like I hear everything around me echoing through the phone.There is no place to put a wrist strap which may not be a problem for men who wear belts but it is a problem for me.I had to take the phone strap from my old phone and open the back of the Nokia 6010, insert the strap and then put the case back on and hope that it doesn't break the phone and that the strap stays put.There is no way for me to get rid of the "Cingular" that shows up on the screen.On my old phone I could put anything I want on the banner.Mind you, there may be a way, but it has been blocked out (Option 3 on the Phone Settings menu is conspicuously missing).The display screen is so dark that you can't read the time and there is no way to change it.Hey, here's a novel idea, how about providing ring tones in addition to the many song rings for those of us who prefer a traditional ring. What happened to a normal ring tone?I don't want to be in a meeting and here "Futurisco" playing.The one thing I will give the phone is that you have the ability to create Profiles so that you can make changes to your settings and apply a particular group of settings depending on your situation.Overall, I am greatly disappionted.
... Read more

This flagship phone from Siemens has all the powerful features you need in a slick, stylish package. With a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, expandable flash memory, and much more, the S66 is a serious mobile companion.

Design The S66's candybar form factor sports a very large, 132 x 176 display that supports up to 65,000 colors. A five-way navigation toggle just below the display provides access to most of the phone's menus and functions. The phone, which features 10 MB of embedded internal memory, also ships with a 32 MB RS-MMC flash memory card. Additional storage space can be added via the memory card slot. The S66's camera unit is housed on the rear, while USB and charging ports are housed on the bottom of the device. Lastly, the phone has an IR port for infrared data transfer.

Click the image to see the S66 in action, or take a closer look at the phone's features: page one - page two.

Calling Features The S66's built-in address book has room for up to 1000 contacts so you can quickly access email addresses, phone numbers and other info. Calling features such as call waiting, call forwarding and a list of calls received and dialed are also included. Meanwhile, the built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear, and the phone's Bluetooth connectivity means that your favorite Bluetooth headset is fully compatible. Picture and Ringer ID functions allow you to assign photos and ringers to specific callers. Polyphonic ringtones, as well as a vibrate mode, are also included.

Messaging, Internet and Tools Powerful messaging and Internet capabilities can be found in the S66. While the phone fully supports text, picture, sound and video messaging, it also ships with AOL Instant Messenger so you can text chat on the go. You can get your email on the go, too, as the S66 has a POP3/IMAP4 e-mail client. With a Cingular data plan, the phone can be used as a wireless modem, providing internet access on your laptop or PDA. There's also a built-in web browser for Cingular MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Traditional text messaging, as well as picture and sound messaging are also supported by the phone. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

A number of powerful tools ship with the S66, including a SyncML-based synchronization function that allows you to sync data on the device with Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes via Bluetooth, USB, infrared, or serial connection. Other tools include an alarm clock, a calendar, and a to-do list. There's also a voice memo function for recording notes and thoughts.

Imaging and Entertainment With the S66's 1.3 megapixel camera, you can capture high-resolution (1280 x 960) images wherever you roam. There's also a 5x digital zoom for getting great shots from far away. While the camera is great for stills, it can also capture video in the MPEG-4 format. Video recording time is only limited by the amount of available memory space.

Java application and gaming support is also built into the S66. Many games and applications can be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia service. The phone also features customizable wallpapers and screensavers.

Vital Statistics The Siemens S66 weighs 4.29 ounces and measures 4.29 x 1.89 x 0.71 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of digital talk time, and up to 250 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Good screen, cool games, average phone
This phone has lots of nice features: A nice large screen, a 1.3 megapixel camera, bluetooth, and good games(even worms).

However, it was a bit bulkier than my Sony Ericsson T637, didn't have a significantly larger screen, and the bluetooth didn't work well with my headset.I don't think the voice quality on my bluetooth headset was quite as good either.

I have seen pretty nice photos taken with the camera of this phone, but they show up on the LCD with lots of noise.And it crashed once while trying to take a photo in the less than one day I owned the camera.

This was the first phone I've used which had games I wanted to play, including Worms.The size of the LCD made playing games a real possibility.

For now I'll stick with my T637, and maybe I'll upgrade to a RAZRwhen they become cheaper or a new Sony Ericsson phone in the future when there is a compelling upgrade.

Mac BT, iSync.Cingular Programming
** Revised Review **

Good Points:

-Bluetooth and Mac Syncronization
Using Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) the phone will sync over Bluetooth.It can transfer iCal and Address Book data (phones, one e-mail address/user, but NO postal addresses).Using Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), this sync capability is lost.There IS a work-around, however.Check out the Apple Support Discussion area.The work-around also enables the transfer of postal addresses.

Bad Points:

-User Interface
The S65, upon which this is based, had the option of assigning the 2-9 hotkeys.You can't do it with the S66.Cingular has a few of these hard programmed for data services.The phone is not so bad as the Sony Ericsson T637 in terms of funneling users towards data services.Since the main menu can't be modified, I end up having to work my way down to the functions that I really use (e.g., the calendar/organizer).So unless you're a hard core Cingular-loving data junky, you're going to be stuck with a kludgey interface.A better phone (and a smarter phone company) would allow customization of the menus and the deletion of buried data links (e.g., "Shop Ringtones").To Cingular's credit, users are not forced to use Cingular to upload files.Bluetooth transfers to and from the computer are painless.

-Dead Pixel
Quality-wise, the phone arrived with a dead pixel.It's not worth my time to return, but it's a little bit surprising for a handset made in Germany.

Neutral Points:

-Battery Life
As has been pointed out by professional reviewers, the battery life on the S66 is not great.A day of good use will deplete most of the battery.This is okay if you are already in the habit of charging daily.

-Camera
The camera is okay; it needs good lighting.I don't need or want the camera however.

-Keypad
The keys are small but I don't mind the trade-off for the larger screen.

Conclusion

I'm happy to have a phone that syncs my iCal and Address Book data.I'm still waiting for a phone designed for users rather than as a data pimp.Someday the phone companies will get it, though Steve Jobs may beat them to it.I give the phone three stars, deducting one star for the lack of good UI customization and one star for the dead pixel.

^^i promise i know as much as kyle
The siemens s66....where do i start? over the last year i have had many different phones, an lg vx6000, a sanyo 8200, a nokia 3200, a motorola v505, a motorola mpx200 and 220, a samsung e315, and the lg 1100...this phone is by far the best. i was very skeptical about it. the reason being that i am an indirect dealer of 2 carriers that carry siemens phones, i have sold te cf62t, the c61, the ct66, the m56, etc....their phones always seemed so flimsy to me. so i spent some time trying to decide between the s66, the nokia 6230, and the nokia 6620. my deciding factors were: screen size (atleast 3 times the size of the 6230), the size of the phone itself (looks big but doesn't bother me in the least bit), and reviews. this phone got great reviews. to top it all off my roommate (kyle--see above) won this phone from siemens. so after playing with his i came to a decision. and i haven't been happier.

the quality of this phone is great. the sound is superb and the functionality is above average. out of all my phones i've always made sure (atleast with the last few of my phones) that they had speakerphone, the sound on the speakerphone on the s66 is great. you can hear perfectly and the person on the other end can as well. the menu system on the phone is one of the best i've seen...its very similar to that of the sony ericsson t610/616. very easy to use while still compacting a lot of functions. the battery life is mediocre. i use my phone quite a bit. about an hour of talking a day, probably half an hour to 45 minutes of games (the games on this phone are great). the camera usually one a day atleast. and i can usually have it last all day. not a problem for me because i charge my phone every night anyway. i did decide though that it was smart to invest in a car charger for this phone for those long days when my battery would be dwindling before i am ready to charge it.

now on to the features! the 1.3 megapixel camera is easily the best camera i've seen on a phone. to those people that complain about camera quality on phones.....c'mon....its a phone. my only complaint with the camera is how easy dust gets on the lens. i usually have to clean it out every few days (though its not hard to clean at all). the video function is also the best i've seen yet. running at 15 frames per second. its not nearly as choppy and unclear as the samsung e315 or the nokia 6620. i actually tend to use the video portion alot since it is a good quality video.

the bluetooth has been great so far. i haven't gotten to use a headset or my laptop with it yet. and from what i've read (and this is pure rumor) i heard that it will not recognize a bluetooth adapter on a laptop. it will only recognize it if its built in. (kind of a bummer because my laptop doesnt have bluetooth built in). i have however used it for transfering files between my phone and my girlfriends t610. great speeds on transfers and very easy to use. i've noticed the bluetooth does not run the battery down much either which isn't the case with other phones (v505).

one of the best things about this phone is its abundance of organizer features including: calendar, appointments, tasks, notes, missed appts, voice recording, alarm clock (works very well), calculator, stop watch, countdown, etc...also in the applications is a survival dictionary. which basically translates key phrases into tons of different languages. not very useful for me....but if your in another country this would be great. kinda fun to play with too lol.

the phones memory is amazing. the phone comes with 11 mb built in which on medium resolution can store roughly 500 pictures. it also comes with a 32mb rs-mmc card which is amazing for saving videos and pictures. i don't know that i will ever run out of memory. my only complaint on memory is that it isn't shared. the 11mb is on there specifically for pictures, sounds, games, etc...it has no effect on things like the inbox. my text message inbox (and outbox) holds about 70 texts each. when you do 4000 a month like i do you tend to clear the inbox and outbox quite a bit. i have yet to find a phone that had much more than that capacity on it though.

the contacts list is great. it not only does multiple numbers for each name but gives a spot for their address, email address, birthday, and a spot to insert a picture for picture id (which works very well by the way).

there are a few bugs in the software. they can get a little irritating but after owning a motorola are definitely a breath of fresh air and really aren't bad at all. occasionally (usually while playing a game) the phone will freeze for a moment and then turn off. also now and then when i try to start up the camera it will say application error and i will have to restart the phone for the camera to work. again these things do not happen very often. every phone tends to have bugs so its not really a big deal.

my favorite thing about this phone is how much you can do with it...i find myself playing with this phone constantly where as with my other phones there really wasn't much to do. this phone is packed full of features and well worth the price. my recommendation is this...if you are looking for a basic phone, something very simple to use, if you are not very technologically savy....buy a nokia. if you are into features, and enjoy playing around with your phone then this is definitely the phone for you.

I promise I know a bunch about phones.
So I actually won this phone from Siemens, and have been in LOVE with it ever since! I have had it for two weeks now, and have been very impressed. I also own an Mpx220, Mpx200, Motorola a630, and a Samsung e315, and I use this one only all the time! On to the specs...

Battery life is sufficient--I am on my phone non-stop doing text messages (over 3000 per month), checking email, sending picture messages, and talking--I'll get a good 24 to 36 hours with each charge. When I have been a little more sparse with my use, I can go two nights without charging easy.

Picture quality is stellar for a cell phone, I find its best to make sure you clean the lens before taking any high-res pics, as dirt gets in there pretty easily and makes the pictures a little more grainy. The pictures generally come out clear and LARGE! I leave it set on the medium setting usually, and can store 500 pics with the phones memory alone.

I have had absolutely no problem with service, it actually gets a stronger signal than my Motorola and my Nokia phones that I've had before. I'll get one, even two bars more in weak places than before--good job Siemens! Speaker phone is clear and loud, I don't usually set it on the highest setting or it gets a bit garbled, but on 3 it is nice and audible-- and the ring tones are LOUD!!! I set it on the highest setting...

The phone looks great, and seems stronger than it looks--a couple drops, but not even a scratch!

Couple negatives, which don't bother me but could be annoying to some--it has reset on me a few times, strangely when I SEND emails it seems to shut off after sometimes and then I have to power it back up. This has happened twice a week. Not a big deal to me, again, could be annoying to you.

Also, because I do a lot of text messaging, Siemens style of t9 input has set me back a little to learn it. The space key is the 1, and is set really close to the send button, so I've sent quite a few unfinished texts or emails when trying to hit space!

Keys are a LITTLE small, but it is not usually a problem. I've hit the wrong ones a few times, and if you have big fingers I wouldn't recommend this phone.

All in all, GET THIS PHONE! Anyone into techy stuff or just a sweet looking phone will love it, and the functionality and features are rich!

The Nokia 3220 is all about having lots of fun. Geared for kids and teenagers, the phone supports wacky features like light effects, cut-out covers, "tilt" gaming and an innovative lighting system that lets you "write" messages in mid air. On a more boring note, the 3220 is a powerful GSM phone with advanced data and messaging features, plus a built-in VGA still and video camera.

Design The 3220 is a candybar phone with tons of candy. The phone is made to withstand the rigors of book bags and plenty of falls from the bleachers. Thick, replaceable rubber bumpers line both sides of the phone. For added fun, they also illuminate and glow when a call is incoming. The front of the phone sports a 128 x 128 display, with up to 65,000colors. The button pad features large, easy to press buttons. The rear of the phone houses a VGA (640 x 480) camera, which is surrounded by a panel that can be removed for placement of "cut-outs." You can design your own covers and slide them under the cut-out panel to personalize your 3220. Both front and rear panels of the phone can be replaced with a variety of colored faceplates, as well. An optional "Xpress-on Fun Shell" adds light wave messaging and a tilt sensor for games.

Calling Features The 3220's phone book can hold up to 500 contacts with multiple entries per contact. It also features a speakerphone for easy handsfree talking. Ringer profiles can be set up to trigger unique light patterns and ringtones for different people on your calling list. Pictures of your friends can also be used as caller ID alerts. The phone features 16 built-in polyphonic ringtones, and custom ringtones can be uploaded to the phone via its USB data port. More ringtones can also be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia service. For those times you want to keep things discreet, there's also a vibrate ringer mode.

Messaging, Internet and Tools The 3220 has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging. Support is built in for sending and receiving text, graphics and sound via messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. Instant messaging is also supported and the phone ships with a built-in email client (Cingular messaging charges apply). T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

Getting on the Internet is easy with the 3220. It supports the GPRS protocol, as well as the new, high speed EDGE data protocol. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get sports scores, download games and ringtones, and more.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the 3220 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar with up to 100 entries, and an alarm clock with snooze and a countdown timer. Via download on its Web site, Nokia offers a free application called PC Suite that facilitates easy synchronization of contacts, calendar events and other data between the phone and your PC.

Imaging and Entertainment Because the 3220 is designed for fun, it shines in the entertainment department. The phone's VGA camera can capture stills and video, both of which can be sent to your friends via MMS messaging or email, or to your PC via USB. An included image-editing application lets you modify the pictures you take before you send them. You can record up to 5 minutes of a voice or music clip to use as your ring tone. With an optional stereo headset, you can listen to tunes on the phone's built-in FM radio. The phone also supports custom themes and wallpapers.

Java support is built into the 3220, making it a powerful gaming companion for both online and offline games. The phone ships with four games, Survivor, Club Pinball, Dance Delight and Phantom Spider. Add the optional Xpress-on Fun Shell and you can tilt the handset in three dimensions, making the phone a virtual joystick. More games are available via the MEdia service.

Vital Statistics The Nokia 3220 weighs 3.03 ounces and measures 4.11 x 1.74 x 0.74 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3 hours of digital talk time, and up to 280 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS 800/1800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.